Restitution? Africa's Fight for its Art (2021)

"A Case for Restitution in 5 Films" is a film series curated by Nigerian filmmaker and independent film curator Tobi Akinde screened at the Ethnographic Museum UZH in Spring 2025, in connection with the exhibition "Benin Dues" and its topics of provenance and restitution. This fourth film in the series addresses the separation of artworks from their communities of origin.

(Film 4/5)
Film by Nora Philippe, France, 2021, 83’, Language: French; English subtitles.
Restitution? Africa's Fight for its Art
In this documentary, French filmmaker Nora Phillipe offers a polyvocal perspective on thousands of African artworks that were looted during colonial times and that remain in Western museums. The film follows the emotional journey of several objects, exploring their deep significance to the communities they left behind. Told through voices of activists, artists, and scholars, the film combines a pedagogical and advocative approach to the urgency of decolonising Western museums while reflecting on the broader implications of colonial legacies and cultural sovereignty.