Report on the restitution of African cultural heritage information
Report on cultural relations between France and Africa south of the Sahara
The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics
Author
Felwine Sarr & Bénédicte Savoy
Language
French original, English official translation
Subject
Restitution of African art from French public collections
Publisher
Philippe Rey/Seuil, Paris
Publication date
21 November 2018
Media type
open access online document and commercially available book in French
Pages
89 in English version as pdf, plus annexes
ISBN
284876726X
OCLC
1077598452
Website
http://restitutionreport2018.com
The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics (in French: Rapport sur la restitution du patrimoine culturel africain. Vers une nouvelle éthique relationnelle) is a report written by Senegalese academic and writer Felwine Sarr and French art historian Bénédicte Savoy, first published online in November 2018 in a French original version and an authorised English translation.[1]
Commissioned by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, the aim of the report was to assess the history and present state of publicly owned French collections of African artworks originating from illicit or otherwise disputed acquisitions, as well as claims and a plan for subsequent steps for eventual restitutions. More specifically, the report also presents recommendations for the preparation of restitutions, such as international cultural cooperation, provenance research, legal frameworks, and ends with a list of the cultural objects involved, as well as ways to present them in the near future in African museums.
The commission of this report marks the first time a French president announced the restitution of African artefacts, and it has since prompted numerous debates and plans for a decolonization of museums in a number of countries.
In 2020, their report and its public response earned Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr the third place in the annual ranking of the "most influential people in the international art world", established by ArtReview magazine;[2] and Time magazine listed them among the "100 most Influential People of 2021".[3]
Royal statue from historical kingdom of Dahomey, representing King Béhanzin with features of a shark
^Sarr, Felwine; Savoy, Bénédicte (21 November 2018). "Rapport sur la restitution du patrimoine culturel africain. Vers une nouvelle éthique relationnelle" [The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics] (PDF) (Report) (in French and English). Paris. pp. 89 plus annexes (English version in pdf). OCLC 1077598452. Archived from the original (pdf) on 28 March 2019.
^ArtReview. "Power 100". artreview.com. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
^Adjaye, David (15 September 2021). "Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy: TIME100 2021". Time. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
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