Return of cultural works to Benin: "An act of justice" says Emmanuel Kasarhérou

So it's imminent. The 26 cultural goods will be back in Benin. Asked about Rfi's "Guest Africa" ​​program after a mission in Benin, the president of the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum, Emmanuel Kasarhérou, believes that the return of 26 cultural works is an act of justice.

«(…) We have taken a big step forward in the question of the physical return of works and that now, it is about implementing on each side, the means necessary for it to be a success ”, Emmanuel Kasarhérou will say at the outset, interviewed by Jean-Luc Aplogan, RFI correspondent in Benin and transcribed by levenementprecis.com. For the president, It’s an act of justice. "Repentance, I do not believe. It is an act in any case that wants to be an act of justice in the end. It's a known story. It is the colonial history that links France and Benin. And that's a way to tell and comment on this story together. And when there were acts of this type which are acts of violence, it is good to grant the request for restitution which was made by the Government of Benin concerning this collection of General Dodds looted in Abomey in 1892 ”, he explains while revealing the schedule of the restitution. "The calendar, this is the one set by the Government of Benin. That is to say, the fourth quarter of the year 2021, and then inside now, it is up to the Beninese side to define the precise timetable. And from the precise schedule, we implement a retro planning which allows us to implement both the practical and technical modalities of the return of these works, but also the events that will take place in Paris and Cotonou for the departure and reception of these works, because it is a historic moment ", underlines the president of the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum, Emmanuel Kasarhérou. He did not fail to reveal how the works will be transported from Quai Branly to Cotonou. "This is to make the checkouts compatible with commercial flights. And like that presents a big volume, a volume of nearly 27 m3, it is vile to consider a single flight. So for now, what we proposed, it can be done on consecutive flights. This will also allow easier handling of this set which is still substantial. It is 26 works. This is quite substantial ", he clarified.

Patrice ADJAHO