UNESCO and African Ancestral Repatriation Projects

Wɔatwerɛ nsɛm wei wɔ Asante Twi mu

Afrika nananom nkaeɛ ne amammerɛ ho agyapadeɛ a wɔde bɛsane ama no yɛ wiase nyinaa mmɔden a wɔrebɔ sɛ wɔbɛdi amammerɛ mu agyapadeɛ no ho dwuma na wɔasan ama Afrikafoɔ anya nidi bio no fa titiriw. Amanaman Nkabom Asoɛe a Ɛhwɛ Nhomasua, Nyansahu, ne Amammerɛ So (UNESCO) na edi anim wɔ mmɔden a wɔrebɔ yi mu, na ɛyɛ adwuma titire de boa ma nnipa nnompe ne nneɛma kronkron kɔ Afrika aman mu. UNESCO nam mmara kwan so nhyehyɛe, dwumadi a wɔde hyɛ nnipa den, ne amanneɛ ahodoɔ so boa Afrika aman ne nnipa ahodoɔ ma wɔsan nya wɔn agyapade a wɔawia no na wɔsan nya wɔn nananom a wɔtenaa ase tete no.

Abakɔsɛm: Nnoɔma a wɔwiaeɛ a ne tetefoɔ a wɔtuu wɔn

Ɛfiri afeha a ɛto so 18 kosi afeha a ɛto so 20 mu no, nniso ahorow a na wɔdi nnipa so no sisii Afrika nneɛma a wɔde ayɛ tete nneɛma mpempem pii, a nnipa nnompe, nyamesom nneɛma, ne amammerɛ mu agyapade ka ho. Mpɛn pii no, na wɔnam basabasayɛ anaa aguadi so na wɔde saa nneɛma yi kɔ Europa tete nneɛma akorae ne sukuupɔn ahorow mu. Wɔde nnipa nnompe titire dii dwuma wɔ nyansapɛ mu nhwehwɛmu ahodoɔ a ɛfa nnipa mu nyiyim ho a na wɔhwehwɛ sɛ wɔbɛhyɛ nnipa mu nyiyim ase^[1]. Nananom a wotwaa wɔn fii hɔ no tetew abusuabɔ a na ɛda wɔn ne Onyankopɔn ntam ne wɔn amammerɛ ntam mu, na ɛmaa wɔn a wɔwɔ Afrika no werɛ howee kɛse.

UNESCO asɛdeɛ wɔ wɔn a wɔresan akɔ wɔn man so mu no mmɔdemmɔ

UNESCO de ne ho hyɛɛ tetefo a wɔsan kɔ wɔn man mu no mu fi 1970 mu Nhyehyɛe a Ɛfa Akwan a Wɔfa so De Amammerɛ mu Nneɛma a Wɔde Ba Baabi a Ɛwɔ Hɔ, a Wɔde Kɔ Hɔ, ne Wɔn a Wɔhyɛ Hɔ sɛ Wɔnkɔ Hɔ no, a Ɛma Wɔkwati no, a ɛbɔɔ aman nyinaa mmara kwan a wɔde siw amammerɛ mu nneɛma a wɔtɔn wɔ ɔkwan a ɛmfata so kwan, na wɔboa ma wɔsan kɔ wɔn a wɔwɔ ho kwan no nkyɛn no^[2].

Wɔ afeha a ɛto so 21 mu no, UNESCO trɛ n'ahyehyɛde no mu de kaa nananom atrae ne agyapade a enni honam mu ho. Ahyehyɛde no yɛ adwuma sɛ ntamgyinafo wɔ aman a efifi ne nnwumakuw a ɛhwɛ so no ntam, ɛma wohu sɛnea wɔyɛ nneɛma wɔ akorae ahorow mu, na ɛma wohu ɔkwan a wɔfa so yɛ nnoɔma ho twerɛtohɔ.

Nhyehyɛe titire baako ne Amanaman ntam Dwumadibea a Ɛboa ma Wɔsan De Amammerɛ Ho Nnoɔma Ba (ICPRCP), a ɛboa ma aman ahorow yɛ nhyehyɛe ma wɔn ho wɔn ho ne wɔn ho wɔn ho kasa. Ɛdenam saa kwan yi so no, Afrika aman betumi de wɔn adesrɛ akɔ ɔman foforɔ so na wɔatumi asiesie wɔn ntam nsɛmnsɛm wɔ amanneɛ kwan so ^[3].

Afrikafoɔ a wɔde wɔn reba wɔn man mu no asetena ho nhyehyɛeɛ a ɛfata a UNESCO boaeɛ ma ɛkɔɔ so

1. Sarah Baartman a ɔsan bae (France kɔɔ South Africa, 2002)

UNESCO boaa South Africa aban no ma wɔsan de Sarah Baartman, a wɔdaa n'amu no adi wɔ Paris kosii 1974 no bae. Bere a wɔhyɛɛ ne ho nkuran kɛse na UNESCO taa n'akyi no, France penee mmara soronko bi so maa no sɛ ɔmfa n'amu a wɔsiee no wɔ East Cape wɔ afahyɛ bi a obu wɔ amammerɛ mu mu no mmra^[4].

2. Namibia-Germany Skull Repatriation (2011, 2018)

UNESCO yɛɛ afotu adwuma wɔ Hererofo ne Namafo a wɔkunkum wɔn wɔ nnommumfa mu no ti a wɔsan de fii Germany tete nneɛma akorae ne sukuupɔn ahorow mu no ho. Na aman a wɔsan de wɔn kɔɔ wɔn man mu no yɛ amanne ahorow, wɔpa kyɛw wɔ baguam, na na wɔsrɛ sɛ wɔntua ɛka no^[5].

3. Mali ne Nsaano Nkyerɛwee ne Tete Nneɛma a Wɔasan De Aba

Bere a na ɔko rekɔ so wɔ Mali atifi fam wɔ afe 2012 mu no, UNESCO boae ma wɔhwɛɛ tete Timbuktu nsaano nkyerɛwee ne nneɛma foforo a nkurɔfo sisii anaa na ɛreyɛ ayera no so, na wɔsan de wɔn baa wɔn man mu. Nhyehyɛe ahorow yi kyerɛ sɛ ɛnyɛ honam mu a wɔsan kɔ wɔn kurom no nko na ɛka ho, na mmom wɔsan de amammerɛ mu nimdeɛ nso ma^[6]^[7].

Tumi a wɔbɛnya ne amanaman nkabom a wɔbɛdi ho dwuma

Deɛ ɛkyɛn ne nyinaa no, UNESCO hyɛ Afrika aman no nkuran sɛ wɔnhyɛ wɔn ho den sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a wɔbɛkora nkae ne nneɛma a wɔde asie a wɔasan de aba no so yiye, asua ho ade, na wɔasan de aba ɔman no mu bio. Nhyehyɛe ahorow a ɛwɔ UNESCO - African World Heritage Fund ase no ma sika ne ntetee ma nnwumakuw, agyapade, ne amammerɛ ho adwumayɛfoɔ^[8]^[9].

UNESCO si so dua sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ ɔmanfo no ankasa na wɔboa ma nkurɔfo a wɔresan akɔ wɔn kurom no di yiye. Amanne ahorow, amanne mu mpanyimfo a wɔne wɔn di nkitaho, ne ɔmanfo nhomasua ho nhyehyɛe ho hia ma honhom mu ayaresa ne nananom a wɔne wɔn di nkitaho no^[10].

Ɔhaw ne daakye akwankyerɛ ahodoɔ

Ɛmfa ho sɛ UNESCO di anim no, ɔhaw pii da so wɔ hɔ. Eyinom bi ne:

Amanyɔ mu nhyehyɛe a enni hɔ wɔ mmeae bi a wɔde wɔn ho hyɛ mu;
Mmara mu akwanside ahorow a ɛwɔ aman a wɔwɔ agyapade ho mmara a emu yɛ den mu;
Akwankyerɛ a ɛmfata a ɛfa baabi a wofi ne wɔn a wɔyɛ wɔn dea ho;
Dwumadibea ahodoɔ bi a ɛwɔ Afrika a wɔhwɛ amammerɛ ho nsɛm so no nni nnipa pii.

Deɛ ɛbɛyɛ na wɔadi ɔhaw ahodoɔ yi so no, UNESCO ka sɛ wɔnyɛ nhwehwɛmu wɔ baabi a wɔfiri bae ho, wɔnyɛ nhyehyɛe a emu da hɔ, na wɔmfa abrabɔ pa nni dwuma wɔ tete nneɛma akorae mu. Wiase nyinaa ahoɔhare foforɔ - a amanyɔkuo a wɔhwehwɛ atɛntrenee wɔ nnipa asetena mu ne wɔn a wɔpere sɛ wɔbɛtew amammerɛ ase no - ama Afrikafo agyapadeɛ no asan aba.

Mmeaeɛ a menyaa mmoa firiiɛ

↑ Andi Zimmerman (2001), Anthropology and Antihumanism in Imperial Germany, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0-226-98342-4, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ UNESCO (2007-01-01), "Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property Paris, 14 November 1970", Standard-Setting at UNESCO, Brill | Nijhoff, pp. 103–111, ISBN 978-90-04-16454-3, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Andrzej Jakubowski (2024-02-29), "Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin or Its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP)", The 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions on Stolen or Illegally Transferred Cultural Property, Oxford University Press, pp. 450–473, ISBN 0-19-284688-4, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Clifton Crais, Pamela Scully (2021-10-12), Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-23835-7, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Vilho Amukwaya Shigwedha (2017-01-05), "The return of Herero and Nama bones from Germany: the victims' struggle for recognition and recurring genocide memories in Namibia", Human Remains in Society, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-1-5261-0738-1, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ "UNESCO and Becoming a World Heritage Site", The Politics of Heritage Management in Mali, Routledge, pp. 75–92, 2016-06-16, ISBN 978-1-315-41753-0, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Director-General pays official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia on the occasion of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee (in English), retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Brad Guadagnin (2020), "African World Heritage Fund (AWHF)", Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 70–72, ISBN 978-3-030-30016-6, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ AWHF|Investing in Heritage (in American English), retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Pearl S.N.O. Lamptey, Wazi Apoh (2020-08-31), "The restitution debate and return of human remains: implications for bioarchaeological research and cultural ethics in Africa", Contemporary Journal of African Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 97–115, doi:10.4314/contjas.v7i1.7, ISSN 2343-6530, retrieved 2025-07-02

[1] Andi Zimmerman (2001), Anthropology and Antihumanism in Imperial Germany, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0-226-98342-4, retrieved 2025-07-02

[2] UNESCO (2007-01-01), "Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property Paris, 14 November 1970", Standard-Setting at UNESCO, Brill | Nijhoff, pp. 103–111, ISBN 978-90-04-16454-3, retrieved 2025-07-02

[3] Andrzej Jakubowski (2024-02-29), "Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin or Its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP)", The 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions on Stolen or Illegally Transferred Cultural Property, Oxford University Press, pp. 450–473, ISBN 0-19-284688-4, retrieved 2025-07-02

[4] Clifton Crais, Pamela Scully (2021-10-12), Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-23835-7, retrieved 2025-07-02

[5] Vilho Amukwaya Shigwedha (2017-01-05), "The return of Herero and Nama bones from Germany: the victims' struggle for recognition and recurring genocide memories in Namibia", Human Remains in Society, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-1-5261-0738-1, retrieved 2025-07-02

[6] "UNESCO and Becoming a World Heritage Site", The Politics of Heritage Management in Mali, Routledge, pp. 75–92, 2016-06-16, ISBN 978-1-315-41753-0, retrieved 2025-07-02

[7] UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Director-General pays official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia on the occasion of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee (in English), retrieved 2025-07-02

[8] Brad Guadagnin (2020), "African World Heritage Fund (AWHF)", Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 70–72, ISBN 978-3-030-30016-6, retrieved 2025-07-02

[9] AWHF|Investing in Heritage (in American English), retrieved 2025-07-02

[10] Pearl S.N.O. Lamptey, Wazi Apoh (2020-08-31), "The restitution debate and return of human remains: implications for bioarchaeological research and cultural ethics in Africa", Contemporary Journal of African Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 97–115, doi:10.4314/contjas.v7i1.7, ISSN 2343-6530, retrieved 2025-07-02

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