Colonialism Reparation is part of the movement for the condemnation, the reconciliation, the apologies and the compensation for colonialism.
Colonialism Reparation promotes, supports and spreads non-violent activities aimed to create awareness of the current world situation and thereby to encourage the achievement of its objectives
- that the colonizing nations condemn their colonial past recognizing it as a crime against humanity and that the colonized nations exert pressure to make it happen
- that the colonizing nations reconcile with their past, permanently distancing themselves from it by officially apologizing the colonized nations
- that the colonizing nations compensate the colonized nations for the atrocities and abuses committed thus allowing an improvement in their socio-economic conditions.
The contribution of every person who recognizes the importance of this activity to the creation of a climate of friendship and cooperation between peoples is necessary and appreciated. This contribution will create an extremely positive precedent in international relations as well, promoting the supremacy of the “force of law” on the “law of force”.
In recent months demands for the repatriation of the remains and the definitive restitution of the treasures have continued, as well as the attempts by some former colonizers to hinder this inevitable step of human evolution.
On May 22, 2020 the Minister of Culture and Sports of Greece Lina Mendoni renewed the demand for the restitution of the Parthenon marbles, removed by Thomas Bruce 7th Earl of Elgin during the colonial period, to the British Museum of London in the United Kingdom.
On June 12, 2020 the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published the draft of the report Repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, whose final version planned for September 2020 has been postponed for the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 12, 2020 the group of activists Unité Dignité Courage carried out a first action of reappropriation of the colonial treasures at the Musée du quai Branly of Paris in France, followed on July 30, 2020 by a second at the Musée des Arts africains, océaniens et amérindiens of Marseilles in France, on September 10, 2020 by a third to the Afrika Musem of Berg en Dal in the Netherlands and on October 22, 2020 by a fourth to the Musée du Louvre of Paris in France.
On July 3, 2020, in the presence of the President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebbounee, the remains of twenty-four Algerian resistance to French colonization were welcomed in Algeria with a ceremony at the airport of Algiers, after having remained for a century and a half at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle of Paris in France.
On September18, 2020 the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt Khaled El-Anany renewed the demand for the restitution of the Nefertiti Bust, removed by Ludwig Borchardt during the colonial period, at the Neues Museum of Berlin in Germany.
On October30, 2020 the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports of Jamaica Olivia Grange demanded the restitution of the sculptures of Taino zemi, removed by unknown persons during the colonial period, at the British Musem of London in the United Kingdom.
On December 16, 2020, on the occasion of the opening of the Humboldt Forum, the Ambassador of Nigeria to Germany Yusuf Maitama Tuggar renewed the demand for the restitution of the treasures looted during the colonial period to the German Museums, followed in early 2021 by the artistic intervention of Emeka Ogboh in collaboration with the Museum für Völkerkunde of Dresden in Germany.
On December 24, 2020 the French Parliament promulgated the law 2020-1673 on the restitution of cultural property to the Republic of Benin and the Republic of Senegal with which, while respecting the promises made on November 23, 2018 by the French President and on November 17, 2019 by the French Prime Minister, a case-by-case approach is however chosen instead of an amendment of the Heritage Code to make definitive restitutions possible and permanent.
Colonialism Reparation asks the repatriation of the remains and the definitive restitution of the treasures looted by former colonizers (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, etc.) as a first step in the direction of the Reparation of the damages of colonialism, stopping to hinder an inevitable step of human evolution.
All taken violently. Dr. Yusef Ben Jochannan said it better: If you remove those things that they took from Africa you would have no museum.
On the plus side would these artefacts still be in existence if they hadn’t been taken care of by somebody else?
Not necessarily. I don’t know about the other cases, but the Elgin Marbles in London are in worse shape than similar artifacts that were left in Athens.
Oops, I meant “not necessarily taken care of”.
You have made a valid point. You can add that if the items are housed in a museum or art gallery the public has access to them. Of greater concern is the hoarding of artifacts and works of art by wealthy private collectors, most of which never see the light of day.
A thief is a thief even if he proves to be wealthy and able to care for your house, then steals it and everything in it, leaving you homeless. But on the plus side the thief sends you crumbs in your tent on the sidewalk.
@Me- african art- You: No, the greeks, romans and arabs before them would have broken off the noses and any features that make them look Black, and then violently loot them again; because that’s the nature of those robbers, murd*r*rs and thieves.
Why would they condemn their colonial past when they still profit from it today? Why would they apologise? And most importantly, what incentive do they have to compensate?
Black people have to stop being entitled and learn to fight. Face reality, they kidnapped/brutalised us to get what they wanted. Until we can figure out how to fight them back, they will never respect us. They have the capacity to re-invade us (remember Grenada) at anytime and we don’t have army, weaponry or even the phsycological willingness to defend ourselves.
You get what you fight for and as a people we are more focused on integration, comformity and generally being white supremacy’s foot stool, than working towards improving our plight. Our leaders bow down to every Eurocentric command! Untill we redefine ourselves as a credible threat, there is no chance of any of the above happening!
The only people who are respected are those who have built themselves into a credible threat! (China/NKorea etc)
Interesting and necessary… high time to put things right