Democratic Republic of Congo and the Africa Museum Returns

Wɔatwerɛ nsɛmwei wɔ Asante Twi mu

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) abɛyɛ ɔman titire wɔ Afrika amammerɛ mu nneɛma a wɔde asesa no mu, ne titire no wɔ mmɔden a wɔbɔ sɛ wɔbɛsan agye nnoɔma a wɔfoom wɔ Belgium nnisoɔ ase no mu. Wɔde saa nneɛma yi mu fa kɛseɛ no ara wɔ Royal Museum for Central Africa (a wɔtaa frɛ no Africa Museum) a ɛwɔ Tervuren, Belgium no. Saa akorae yi wɔ Afrika amammerɛ mu nneɛma a wɔaboaboa ano a ɛsõ sen biara wɔ wiase no mu baako - nneɛma bɛboro 120,000 - a emu dodoɔ no ara firi Congo wɔ nnɛɛmmafoɔ nnisoɔ mmerɛ a ɛyɛ hu no mu^[1].

Abakɔsɛm

Wɔ Ɔhene Leopold II a ɔno ankasa dii Congo Free State so firi afe 1885 de kɔsi 1908 no nnisoɔ ase no, wɔfaa saa mantam no so dii dwuma ɔkwammɔne so. Basabasayɛ, nhyɛsoɔ adwuma, ne nnipadɔm a wokunkum wɔn no ne sikasɛm mu nneɛma te sɛ rubber ne asonse sɛe no hyiae. Wɔ ahonyade yi a wɔfow no akyi no, amammerɛ mu nneɛma a wɔde dii dwuma no nso, wɔn a wɔfaa wɔn sɛ wɔn agyapade no, asɛmpatrɛwfo, ne nnipa ho abenfo sisii wɔn nneɛma. Ná wɔtaa fa nneɛma yi - nkataanim a wɔde di afahyɛ, ahemfo ahoni, nneɛma a wɔde di afahyɛ, ne nananom atenae - wɔ wɔn a wɔadi wɔn so nkonim no ho bere a wɔmpene so anaa wɔfa no sɛ akatua.

Berɛ a wɔde Belgium Congo sii hɔ wɔ afe 1908 mu no, wɔtoaa tete nneɛma a wɔaboaboa ano no so denam nsrahwɛ ahorow ne nnipa ho nhwehwɛmu akwantu ahorow so. Wɔde saa nneɛma yi pii kɔɔ Belgium na awiei koraa no wɔde kɔtoo Tervuren Tete Nneɛma Akorae hɔ, na ɛno bɛyɛɛ nneɛma a wɔde kyerɛ sɛ na Belgium di tumi wɔ hɔ.

Afrika nnoɔma akorae no ne ntawantawa ahodoɔ

Wɔyɛɛ Afrika Tete Nneɛma Akorae no ho nsiesie a ne bo yɛ €74 million wɔ afe 2013 ne 2018 ntam, na wɔsan buee no a na wɔasi wɔn bo sɛ wɔbɛyi ne amammerɛ no afi hɔ. Nanso, wɔkɔɔ so kasa tiaa no sɛ ɔkora Congofo nneɛma mpempem pii so a wanyɛ nhyehyɛe biara sɛ ɔbɛsan de ama wɔn.

Nneɛma a ɛsom bo paa no bi ne:

Nkisi nkondi tumi nnipa a wofi Kongo man mu;
Afahyɛ ntade a na wɔde hyɛ Luba ne Kuba ahemfo;
Nananom nkataanim ne ntorobɛnto a efi Tshokwe ne Songye aman mu;
Nnipa nnompe ne nnipa ho nsɛm a wɔboaboaa ano wɔ nnommumfa akwantu mu.

Congo asuafoɔ ne mpanimfoɔ aka dadaada sɛ saa nneɛma yi nyɛ adwinni bi kɛkɛ na mmom amammerɛ, honhom ne amanyɔsɛm ho nimdeɛ^[2].

Ntoa a DRCfoɔ bɔ fa wɔn a wɔpɛ wɔsane ba wcn man mu ho

Wɔ afe 2021 mu no, DRC bɔɔ mmɔden sɛ ɔbɛma wɔde nneɛma pii afiri Belgium aba. Yei akyi no, na nneɛma a wɔde resan akɔma afoforɔ wɔ Afrika no mu ayɛ den kɛse, na Sarr-Savoy amanneɛbɔ no a wotintimii ne tete nneɛma a France de maa Benin ne Senegal no hyɛɛ mu den. Belgium Ɔmanpanin Alexander De Croo gye toom sɛ ɛyɛ ne asɛde sɛ wɔsan de nneɛma a wonyae wɔ wɔn nnisoɔ ase no ma wɔn, na ɔsan sii so dua sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtew nneɛma a wɔsan de ma no so^[3]^[4].

Wɔ Ayɛwohomumɔ bosome mu wɔ afe 2022 mu no, Belgium bɔɔ amanneɛ sɛ wɔbɛsan de nneɛma a wɔaka ho asɛm no ama DRC. Wɔhwɛɛ nneɛma 84,000 a ɛwɔ Afrika Adwumam no mu kan, na wɔsiesiee nneɛma a edi kan a "ɛkyerɛ nneɛma a wɔfaa no kwa" no sɛ wɔbɛsan de aba. Wɔhyehyɛɛ bilateral commission wɔ DRC ne Belgium ntam a ɛhwɛ logistics, mmarahyɛsɛm, ne nhyehyeɛ a ɛfa nhyehyeɛ ho so^[5].

Mfasoɔ a ɛwɔ wɔn mmaeɛ no so

Congofoɔ nneɛma a wɔde fi Afrika Adwumam no mu san ba no nyɛ ade a wɔde bɛhyɛ obi nsa kɛkɛ - ɛyɛ abakɔsɛm mu yaw a wɔbɛsa ho yare, ne amammerɛ mu anuonyam a wɔbɛsan ama no, ne tumidie a wɔde ahyɛ obi nsa wɔ ne bere so no a wɔbɛhyɛ no den. Ɔmanpanyin a ɔhwɛ amammerɛ so wɔ Congo, Catherine Kathungu Furaha, sii so dua sɛ, nneɛma yi a wɔasan de aba no ama nkurɔfo anya wɔn nananom agyapade a na wɔhyɛ wɔn mu pii ma wɔtwe wɔn ho fi wɔn honhom fam agyiraehyɛdeɛ ne wɔn amanneɛ ahdooɔ ho no.

Bio nso, akwantuo no bɛtumi ama wɔanya nteteɛ ne amammerɛ pii. Wɔde nneɛma a wɔsan de bae no rebɛkyerɛ wɔ ɔman no nnwuma te sɛ Institut des Musées Nationaux du Congo (IMNC) wɔ Kinshasa ne amantam agyapade nkorabata wɔ Lubumbashi ne Kisangani. Wɔhwɛ kwan sɛ saa nneɛma yi bɛkanyan Congofoɔ mfoniniyɛfoɔ, abakɔsɛm atwerɛfɔo, ne nyamesom akannifoɔ a wɔbɛba daakye.

Ɔhaw ahodoɔ a wɔn a wɔbɛsan aba no hyiaeɛ

Ɛmfa ho nkɔsoɔ a wɔanya no, ɔhaw pii da so wɔ hɔ:

Mmara mu nsɛm a emu nna hɔ: Belgium mmara hwehwɛ sɛ aban no gye tumi a wɔde di dwuma bere nyinaa wɔ ɔman no agyapade, a nneɛma a ɛwɔ tete nneɛma akorae ho ka ho.
Nnan nsiesie: Dwumadibea ahodoɔ a ɛwɔ Congo no bi nni nimdeɛ a wɔde bɛkora nneɛma a ɛyɛ mmerɛw anaa nea wɔntaa nhu no so na wɔakora so.
Nkorabata Ho Nwoma Ahodoɔ: Nneɛma mpempem pii ho nhwehwɛmu a wɔde hwehwɛ baabi a wofi bae no nwiei, na ɛma ɛyɛ den sɛ wɔbɛhwehwɛ baabi a wofi bae anaasɛ wɔbɛhu tebea a wɔfaa mu kɔe no.

Nhyehyɛeɛ mu Ɔsɔretia: Belgium tete nneɛma akorae mu mpanyimfo ne amammerɛ ho ahwɛfo binom kyerɛeɛ sɛ wɔn ani nnye nyansahu ne nhomasua mu nneɛma a 'wɔresɛe' no ho.

Ne nyinaa akyi no, amammuisɛm a ɛwɔ afa abien no nyinaa mu yɛ den, na nkɔmmɔbɔ a ɛrekɔ so wɔ Congofo ne Belgium mpanyimfo ntam no kyerɛ sɛ wɔde wɔn ho ahyɛ bere tenten mu sɛ wobedi nneɛma nyinaa ho dwuma.

Awieeɛ

Democratic Republic of Congo ne Africa Museum no a wɔde nneɛma a wɔatow agyapadeɛ no ama no no yɛ abakɔsɛm mu nsakrae wɔ atɛntrenee a ɛbae wɔ nniso ase akyi no mu. Ɛkyerɛ asasepɔn no mu nnipa pii a wɔanyan wɔn ho wɔ amammerɛ mu tumidi ne amammerɛ a wɔte so no ho. Sɛ tete nneɛma no san ba a, ɛma nkurɔfo nya hokwan ka ɔman no ho asɛm, wɔma nkurɔfo nya wɔn amammerɛ ho nimdeɛ, na wɔkyerɛ sɛ abakɔsɛm mu nsɛm yɛ nokware. Mmɔden a DRC rebɔ no ka nnipakuw bi a wɔredɔɔso a wɔresɔre atia aheman no agyapade na wɔreka sɛ Afrika wɔ hokwan sɛ odi n'ankasa amammerɛ daakye ho dwuma no ho.

Baabi a menyaa mmoa firiiɛ

↑ G. Martin (2003-09-01), "The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja. London, New York: Zed Books, 2002. 304 pp. $25.00", Survival, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 242–a-245, doi:10.1093/survival/45.3.242-a, ISSN 0039-6338, retrieved 2025-07-18
↑ Ana Julia Yanase de Rezende (2024-04-22), "The Repatriation of Cultural Heritage", Cultural Property Crime and the Law, London: Routledge, pp. 263–270, ISBN 978-1-003-36380-4, retrieved 2025-07-18
↑ Mathilde Pavis, Andrea Wallace (2019), "Response to the 2018 Sarr-Savoy Report: Statement on Intellectual Property Rights and Open Access Relevant to the Digitization and Restitution of African Cultural Heritage and Associated Materials", SSRN Electronic Journal, doi:10.2139/ssrn.3378200, ISSN 1556-5068, retrieved 2025-07-18
↑ The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics (in American English), archived from the original on 2021-08-15, retrieved 2025-07-18
↑ "LESSONS FROM SETTLER COLONIES AND THE RESTITUTION OF NAZI-LOOTED ART", Inconvenient Heritage, Amsterdam University Press, pp. 208–217, 2022-06-08, retrieved 2025-07-18

[1] G. Martin (2003-09-01), "The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja. London, New York: Zed Books, 2002. 304 pp. $25.00", Survival, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 242–a-245, doi:10.1093/survival/45.3.242-a, ISSN 0039-6338, retrieved 2025-07-18

[2] Ana Julia Yanase de Rezende (2024-04-22), "The Repatriation of Cultural Heritage", Cultural Property Crime and the Law, London: Routledge, pp. 263–270, ISBN 978-1-003-36380-4, retrieved 2025-07-18

[3] Mathilde Pavis, Andrea Wallace (2019), "Response to the 2018 Sarr-Savoy Report: Statement on Intellectual Property Rights and Open Access Relevant to the Digitization and Restitution of African Cultural Heritage and Associated Materials", SSRN Electronic Journal, doi:10.2139/ssrn.3378200, ISSN 1556-5068, retrieved 2025-07-18

[4] The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics (in American English), archived from the original on 2021-08-15, retrieved 2025-07-18

[5] "LESSONS FROM SETTLER COLONIES AND THE RESTITUTION OF NAZI-LOOTED ART", Inconvenient Heritage, Amsterdam University Press, pp. 208–217, 2022-06-08, retrieved 2025-07-18

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