Africa’s Struggle for Its Art

History of a Postcolonial Defeat

De: Bénédicte Savoy, Susanne Meyer-Abich - translator

Narrado por: Ronnie Archer-Morgan

Ronnie Archer-Morgan narrates this major new history of how African nations sought to reclaim the art looted by Western colonial powers

For decades, African nations have fought for the return of countless works of art stolen during the colonial era and placed in Western museums. In Africa's Struggle for Its Art, Bénédicte Savoy brings to light this largely unknown but deeply important history. One of the world's foremost experts on restitution and cultural heritage, Savoy investigates extensive, previously unpublished sources to reveal that the roots of the struggle extend much further back than prominent recent debates indicate, and that these efforts were covered up by myriad opponents.

Shortly after 1960, when eighteen former colonies in Africa gained independence, a movement to pursue repatriation was spearheaded by African intellectual and political classes. Savoy looks at pivotal events, including the watershed speech delivered at the UN General Assembly by Zaire's president, Mobutu Sese Seko, which started the debate regarding restitution of colonial-era assets and resulted in the first UN resolution on the subject. She examines how German museums tried to withhold information about their inventory and how the British Parliament failed to pass a proposed amendment to the British Museum Act, which protected the country's collections. Savoy concludes in the mid-1980s, when African nations enacted the first laws focusing on the protection of their cultural heritage.

Making the case for why restitution is essential to any future relationship between African countries and the West, Africa's Struggle for Its Art will shape conversations around these crucial issues for years to come.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Bénédicte Savoy (P)2022 Princeton University Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

A New Yorker Best Book of the Year

"[This] revelatory new book charts the course of an all-but-forgotten movement. . . . [Savoy's] investigation yields a riveting scholarly whodunnit that doubles as a timely warning."—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker (Julian Lucas)

"[A] ground-breaking book."—Dan Hicks, Hyperallergic (Dan Hicks)

"A fascinating account of lies and disinformation from European institutions in the debate against restitution. . . . Savoy's deeply researched book marks a shift in tone from the many articles written recently on the African restitution debate . . . that erase African voices, focusing instead on the efforts of European intellectuals."—Nosmot Gbadamosi, Foreign Policy (Nosmot Gbadamosi)