By Boakye Stephen, Kumasi, Ghana | Reporting for Ghanaian News Canada
Ghana is calling for stronger international mechanisms to facilitate the return of African cultural property and human remains, as President John Dramani Mahama pushes for a shift from discussions about historical injustice to practical restitution.
President Mahama made the call at a High-Level Side Event on the Next Steps on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He said the implementation of the Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice should now become a priority, arguing that international recognition of the historical consequences of the trafficking and enslavement of Africans must be followed by concrete measures.
“We must move from acknowledgement to action, from commitments to implementation.”
A major part of Ghana’s proposal centres on establishing a permanent international system through which African countries can pursue the return of cultural property held abroad.
President Mahama urged the United Nations and countries possessing African cultural artefacts to develop standard legal and diplomatic procedures for restitution.
He also called for improved access to historical archives and greater support for provenance research [investigating the origin and ownership history of an artefact], which can help establish where cultural objects came from and how they were acquired.
The President further identified the unconditional return of African human remains as an immediate issue requiring attention.
Beyond securing the return of cultural objects, President Mahama said African countries must also be supported to preserve and manage their heritage.
He challenged the argument that African nations should wait until they have sufficient museums and conservation facilities before receiving returned artefacts.
“Capacity constraints must never be used as a justification for continued possession. Capacity must serve as a bridge to return, not a barrier to justice.”
According to him, initiatives already being developed on the continent, including the African Union’s Great African Museum and the AU-EU Museum Partnership, demonstrate efforts to strengthen Africa’s cultural infrastructure.
Ghana is also proposing that cultural heritage be treated as an economic and social resource rather than simply as objects kept in museums.
President Mahama called for international financial institutions, development banks, foundations and private-sector organisations to invest in archives, conservation laboratories, digitisation and professional training across Africa.
He said these investments could allow cultural heritage to contribute to education, national identity, tourism and the creative economy.
The President’s proposals follow the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/250 on March 25, which Ghana considers an important development in the international reparatory justice process.
MAIN QUOTE:
“We must move from acknowledgement to action, from commitments to implementation.”
COMMENTARY:
Ghana’s proposal places three practical questions at the centre of the reparatory justice discussion: how African heritage can be returned, how the continent can preserve what comes back, and how that heritage can contribute to future development.
The effectiveness of the agenda will ultimately depend on whether international commitments produce clear restitution procedures, adequate resources and cooperation between African states and institutions holding African cultural property.
