France Wonders: Who Owns Colonial Art?
2020-10-04
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1Is taking African artwork from a European museum a political act, or a criminal one?
2That is the question a French court is considering this week at the trial of a Congolese activist who wants his country's art returned.
3"It belongs to us!" shouted a Black woman watching the trial.
4She began to cry and then left the trial after a museum lawyer said the art belongs to the French state.
5The Quai Branly Museum in Paris holds thousands of artworks from former colonies in African and Asia.
6Many of the valuable artworks were taken by colonial officials and brought to French museums.
7Congo-born Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza and four other activists are facing trial for attempted stealing.
8They tried to remove a 19th century African funeral pole from the museum.
9In June, they livestreamed the act on Facebook which they said was a protest. Guards quickly stopped them.
10The activists argue that they never planned to steal the work.
11They wanted to call attention to its where it came from, they said.
12At the trial, however, behind every question and answer were the bigger questions.
13How should former colonial rulers make up for their mistakes? Who really "owns" the artworks?
14The questions took on new urgency after this year's international protests against racial injustice.
15Diyabanza saw an opportunity.
16In the past few months, he has livestreamed three museum protests in Paris, Marseille and the Netherlands.
17French officials were very angry about the livestream.
18They said it threatens the current negotiations with African countries begun by President Emmanuel Macron in 2018 for legal, organized restitution efforts.
19If found guilty of attempted group stealing of the art, Diyabanza could receive up to 10 years in prison and a fine of about $175,000.
20However, the lawyer for the French state did not ask for prison time.
21He asked for small fines.
22A decision on the case is expected on October 14.
23Diyabanza defended what he called a "political act."
24He said Africans, Latin Americans and other colonized countries should take back their treasures.
25He accuses European museums of making a lot of money from artworks taken from now-poor countries like Congo.
26He said the funeral pole belongs to Chad and should be returned.
27"We are the legitimate heirs of these works," he said.
28But he said he was not trying to take the art, instead...The aim was to mark the symbolism of the liberation of these works."
29The judge asked the activists why they thought they had the right to take the law into their own hands.
30He said that the trial was about taking the funeral pole.
31He said his court was not able to judge France's acts as a colonial ruler.
32Museum lawyer Yvon Goutal argued that, because of the discussions between France and African governments, "there is no need for this political act."
33The French state "is very committed to this, and serious," he said.
34The prosecutor said the activists should have made their point in a more peaceful way.
35'The Quai Branly Museum sits on the banks of the Seine River near the Eiffel Tower.
36It was built under former French President Jacques Chirac to showcase non-European art, most from former French colonies.
37It and some other French museums have about 90,000 works.
38So far, France has agreed to return 26 works of African art.
39I'm Susan Shand.
1Is taking African artwork from a European museum a political act, or a criminal one? That is the question a French court is considering this week at the trial of a Congolese activist who wants his country's art returned. 2"It belongs to us!" shouted a Black woman watching the trial. She began to cry and then left the trial after a museum lawyer said the art belongs to the French state. 3The Quai Branly Museum in Paris holds thousands of artworks from former colonies in African and Asia. Many of the valuable artworks were taken by colonial officials and brought to French museums. 4Congo-born Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza and four other activists are facing trial for attempted stealing. They tried to remove a 19th century African funeral pole from the museum. In June, they livestreamed the act on Facebook which they said was a protest. Guards quickly stopped them. 5The activists argue that they never planned to steal the work. They wanted to call attention to its where it came from, they said. 6At the trial, however, behind every question and answer were the bigger questions. How should former colonial rulers make up for their mistakes? Who really "owns" the artworks? 7The questions took on new urgency after this year's international protests against racial injustice. 8Diyabanza saw an opportunity. In the past few months, he has livestreamed three museum protests in Paris, Marseille and the Netherlands. 9French officials were very angry about the livestream. They said it threatens the current negotiations with African countries begun by President Emmanuel Macron in 2018 for legal, organized restitution efforts. 10If found guilty of attempted group stealing of the art, Diyabanza could receive up to 10 years in prison and a fine of about $175,000. However, the lawyer for the French state did not ask for prison time. He asked for small fines. A decision on the case is expected on October 14. 11Diyabanza defended what he called a "political act." He said Africans, Latin Americans and other colonized countries should take back their treasures. 12He accuses European museums of making a lot of money from artworks taken from now-poor countries like Congo. He said the funeral pole belongs to Chad and should be returned. 13"We are the legitimate heirs of these works," he said. But he said he was not trying to take the art, instead...The aim was to mark the symbolism of the liberation of these works." 14The judge asked the activists why they thought they had the right to take the law into their own hands. He said that the trial was about taking the funeral pole. He said his court was not able to judge France's acts as a colonial ruler. 15Museum lawyer Yvon Goutal argued that, because of the discussions between France and African governments, "there is no need for this political act." The French state "is very committed to this, and serious," he said. The prosecutor said the activists should have made their point in a more peaceful way. 16'The Quai Branly Museum sits on the banks of the Seine River near the Eiffel Tower. It was built under former French President Jacques Chirac to showcase non-European art, most from former French colonies. It and some other French museums have about 90,000 works. 17So far, France has agreed to return 26 works of African art. 18I'm Susan Shand. 19The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 20________________________________________________ 21pole- n.a long, straight piece of wood or other material that often is placed so it stands straight up 22livestream- v.to video something as it happens and to show it on social media 23restitution- n.to give back something that was lost or stolen, or to pay someone for damage or problems they have had 24legitimate -adj.permitted by law or rules 25heir -n.a person who has the legal right to receive the property of someone who dies 26symbolism -n.the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities 27prosecutor- n. a lawyer who represents a government in a court and seeks punishment for someone accused of a crime 28skull- n. the structure of bones that form the head and face 29trophy- n. an object that is given as a prize for winning a competition