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The looting of archaeological items and the destruction of archaeological sites in Africa are a cause of irreparable damage to African history and hence to the history of humankind. Whole sections of our history have been wiped out and can never be reconstituted. These objects cannot be understood once they have been removed from their archaeological context and divorced from the whole to which they belong. Only professional archaeological excavations can help recover their identity, their date and their location. But so long as there is demand from the international art market these objects will be looted and offered for sale.
In response of this urgent situation, a list of categories of African archaeological objects particularly at risk from looting was drawn up at the Workshop on the Protection of the African Cultural Heritage held in Amsterdam from 22 to 24 October 1997. Organised by ICOM (International Council of Museums), within the framework of its AFRICOM programme, it brought together professionals from African, European and North American museums to set up a common policy for fighting against the illicit traffic in African cultural property, and to promote regional and international agreements.
The
Red List includes the following
categories of archaeological items:
- Nok
terracotta from the Bauchi Plateau and the Katsina and Sokoto regions
(Nigeria)
- Terracotta
and bronzes from Ife (Nigeria)
- Esie
stone statues (Nigeria)
- Terracotta,
bronzes and pottery from the Niger Valley (Mali)
- Terracotta
statuettes, bronzes, potteries, and stone statues from the Bura System
(Niger, Burkina Faso)
- Stone
statues from the North of Burkina Faso and neighbouring regions
- Terracotta
from the North of Ghana (Komaland) and Côte d'Ivoire
- Terracotta and bronzes so-called Sao (Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria)
These
objects are among the cultural goods most affected by looting and theft.
They
are protected by national legislation, banned from export, and may under
no circumstances be put on sale.
An appeal is therefore being made to museums, auction houses, art dealers
and collectors to stop buying them.
This list is of objects which are particularly at risk, but in no way should it be considered exhaustive. The question of the legality of export arises with regard to any archaeological item.
ICOM
and the Protection of Heritage
The
fight against illicit traffic of cultural
property is a priority for ICOM. Museums must be at the forefront
of this fight by ensuring that they have a scrupulous acquisitions policy
which conforms to the ICOM Code of Professional
Ethics.
In
Africa, in the framework of AFRICOM (the ICOM programme for Africa), a
number of concrete initiatives have been launched to stem looting and
thefts. Regional workshops have been organised to reinforce co-operation
between museums, police and customs. The improvement of inventory procedures
with the finalisation of the Handbook of standards.
Documenting African collections has been an essential tool for
protecting museum collections. The proper circulation of information on
stolen works through the publication of One Hundred Missing Objects.
Looting in Africa has raised the awareness of professionals and public
alike, and has been a factor in the recovery of items. In October 1997,
a new stage was reached in Amsterdam where African, European and North-American
professionals rallied in favour of the protection of African cultural
heritage. As part of the development of a joint policy to combat trafficking
of African cultural objects, recommendations were formulated in the fields
of North/South collaboration, training, awareness-raising and research.
A Red List of particularly endangered archaeological objects was drawn
up.
Since
October 1999, AFRICOM has become the International Council of African
Museums, an autonomous pan-African organisation for museums, with headquarters
in Nairobi, Kenya.