Home » World » Congolese looted art activists from the Afrika Museum are on trial in Paris

Congolese looted art activists from the Afrika Museum are on trial in Paris

A group of activists is on trial in Paris earlier this month wanted to run off with a statue from the Africa Museum in Berg en Dal. The group that calls itself Unité Dignité Courage believes that works of art that were brought from Africa to Europe in colonial times should be returned to Africa.

The group previously operated in France in exactly the same way as in the Netherlands; just like in the Africa Museum in Berg en Dal, they tried to walk out of a museum in Marseille and Paris with a Congolese work of art. And just like in the Netherlands, they made a video of their action on Facebook was put.

“We are the rightful heirs to these works of art,” said the group’s leader, Congo-born Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza. According to him, it is high time that Africans and people from Latin America and other former colonies get the works of art back. European museums earn hundreds of millions of euros with artworks from countries that are now poverty-stricken, he said.

The French government condemns the actions, saying they are thwarting discussions with African countries about the restitution of artworks. Theft of historical objects in France carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros. The prosecution called for a more lenient sentence. The verdict is on October 14.

This is the video that the activists in Berg en Dal made:

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.