Welcome to our live coverage of Restitution 101: A History of Theft, coming to you from Bamenda this Saturday, 8 November 2025. This public lecture and film premiere focuses on the return of African cultural heritage, with special attention to the story of the Ngonnso a treasured cultural deity from Nso, Cameroon.
The event is convened by Dr Shey Bulami Edward, researcher, cultural activist, and contributor to the Open Restitution Africa project, which has documented restitution efforts across the continent. Today’s gathering brings together scholars, students, journalists and cultural promoters to reflect on questions of ownership, memory and identity in the ongoing debate over Africa’s displaced heritage.
Stay with us for live updates, insights from participants, and the premiere of the Ngonnso documentary that captures Cameroon’s place in this wider African conversation.
Opening and Welcome by Akumbu Jones, Director of La Liberté Arts Group and member of Open Restitution Africa.
He praises Shey Dr Bulami Edward for his work and efforts on the restitution of the Ngonnso deity and artifacts stolen from Africa by colonialism.
- Jones highlighted Dr Bulami’s long-term contribution to culture and heritage, tracing his work back to 2005, when he organised the first Gospel Festival.
- He praised Dr Bulami’s six years of dedicated research on restitution and his significant role in the Open Restitution Africa project.
- Jones presented a research document authored by Dr Bulami, describing it as an in-depth and specialist work on restitution across Africa and the Global South.
- He noted that this document serves as a guide for ongoing restitution efforts.
- The audience was reminded of their privilege to witness this milestone event.
- Akumbu called for a moment of prayer, honouring both Jesus Christ and the ancestors, inviting elders to lead the ancestral prayer before the session continued.
Spoken word performance by Mbungai Marie Josette Leinyuy, 20, Spoken word artist, writer, and third-year computer engineering student at the University of Bamenda’s National Higher Polytechnic
- Titles: Miss International Mental Health and International Day of the Girl Child 2025 (Her Blueprint Africa)
- Awards:
- 1st place – National Debate Competition (COCAM 2025)
- 2nd place – National Spoken Word Competition (COCAM 2025)
- 1st runner-up – Youth for Safe and Inclusive Mobility 2025
- 1st runner-up – Writers Space Africa Boxing Day Contest 2024
- 1st place – Smiles Africa Boxing Day 2024
- Participation: Active in initiatives such as Girl Charge, Tales by the Fireside, and NBACA.
- Poem titled “Your Story” challenges the audience to reflect on Africa’s stolen heritage.
- Describes how African artefacts and spiritual symbols were taken and displayed in foreign museums under the guise of preservation.
- Condemns the misrepresentation of African culture, where drums were called noise and traditions labelled primitive.
- Emphasises that culture is living, not an exhibit “a heartbeat meant to be danced with and celebrated.”
- Calls for the return of artefacts, names, stories, and identity as an act of justice, not charity.
- Concludes with the message that restitution is about restoring the future, not merely returning the past.
Presentation of the Open Restitution Africa project: Restitution 101: A History of Theft by Dr Bulami Edward
- Expressed joy and gratitude at the large turnout for the event.
- Explained that Open Restitution Africa is a digital heritage project founded by Mulema (South Africa) and Chao Tayiana (Kenya) to promote African-led narratives on restitution.
- Said the project digitises cases of African cultural possessions taken to Europe and documents them from African perspectives.
- Emphasised that African artefacts should be called “possessions,” not objects, because they hold spiritual and communal value.
- Highlighted that when artefacts were taken, they were removed from their spiritual contexts, breaking the synergy between sacred items like Ngonnso, the throne, and royal cups.
- Noted that museums are a foreign concept to African cultures, which traditionally preserved heritage in shrines and sanctuaries with spiritual restrictions.
- Described restitution as a process that goes beyond objects to include ancestral remains, knowledge systems, and decolonisation of narratives.
- Urged Africans to decolonise their minds, reclaim their languages, names, and concepts like “museum,” proposing “shrineum” as a more African term.
- Shared examples of disrespectful European attitudes, such as frowning when African rituals were performed near artefacts abroad.
- Criticised the colonial mentality embedded in language (e.g., “black” as negative, “white” as positive).
- Revealed that Cameroon lacks a clear restitution policy, only drafting one in late 2023, after the Ngonnso case decision in 2022.
- Stated that Germany holds over 40,000 Cameroonian artefacts, though this count came from only 7% of its museums.
- Condemned Western institutions for setting conditions to return stolen items and offering them as loans, calling it insulting and hypocritical.
- Urged academia and students to take up restitution studies and lead awareness, as heritage and restitution are interdisciplinary fields.
- Explained that restitution is a movement, not a moment with opportunities for young scholars, artists, and researchers.
- Recalled major continental milestones:
- Accra Declaration (2023): Called on universities to promote restitution studies.
- Dakar Conference: Produced a common African position demanding repatriation, repair, and reparations.
- Mentioned that Cameroon, ECOWAS, and the AU support restitution efforts, though progress varies across regions.
- Closed by previewing the five-part “Restitution 101” documentary series, with the day’s screening titled “A History of Theft.”
Projection of the film
Insights from conversations after projection
Historical context and justice
- Ngonso and many sacred objects were looted and displaced during colonial rule.
- The community demands both restitution and compensation for material and cultural damage.
- Compensation should recognise the loss of use, spiritual disconnection, and economic value generated while objects were abroad.
Meaning of restitution
- Restitution is not just about returning objects; it’s about healing cultural identity and rebuilding spiritual ties.
- Many argue against calling them “artefacts”; they are possessions or sacred objects with living value.
- There’s a need to reconnect generations with these sacred symbols.
Role of Germany and colonial accountability
- Calls for Germany to repair historical damage and acknowledge colonial crimes.
- Suggestion that true restitution must include both physical return and moral reparation.
Tangible and intangible heritage
- Taking Ngonnso also erased intangible culture: oral traditions, songs, rituals, and artistic inspiration.
- Restitution should therefore include revival of intangible heritage which is knowledge, stories, and spiritual practices.
Cultural preservation and knowledge systems
- Africans had their own preservation systems before colonialism.
- Western claims that Africans can’t preserve objects are Eurocentric and insulting.
- Local museums and palaces already manage cultural heritage effectively.
Legal and institutional issues
- Restitution needs an interdisciplinary approach: historians, lawyers, anthropologists, ethnographers, artists, scientists.
- Lack of clear legal frameworks in African states slows restitution.
- Cameroon’s inter-ministerial commission has delayed rather than advanced progress.
Grassroots versus government leadership
- The Ngonnso case is community-driven, unlike Afuakom’s which was state-led.
- Grassroots activism and civil society, especially women like Sylvie Njobati, founder of the Sysy House of Fame,, used social media (#BringBackNgonso) to globalise the debate.
Compensation debate
- Western institutions now propose non-financial forms of compensation: cultural exchanges, residencies, partnerships.
- Many participants argue this avoids true accountability; financial compensation is still owed.
- Any monetary compensation should include clear management structures to avoid government diversion.
Role of humanities and decolonisation
- Restitution work depends on the humanities, history, literature, philosophy, performance, and cultural studies.
- Participants warned against neglecting these disciplines in favour of science and technology.
- Restitution is part of Africa’s decolonial renaissance and self-definition.
Cultural activism and youth involvement
- Projects like “Legends” and Open Restitution Africa engage youth and communities to retell African stories.
- Cultural festivals and the creation of Miss Ngonnso contests have raised awareness.
- Activists and researchers continue documenting the Ngonso journey in both Cameroon and Germany.
