The Liberian government has announced its resolve to keep pushing for all stolen artifacts from Africa which are currently dotted across Europe and America to be returned.
During the years of slavery and subsequent colonization, many artifacts belonging to many African countries were wrongly taken and in some instances stolen.
Some of these artifacts are now all over museums across Europe and America, with push for their return hardly yielding any results.
But the advocacy and campaign to have these artifacts returned has been reignited again.
Liberia’s vice president, Jewel Taylor has told DW that “Why should our children go to New York or Washington DC or Paris to see artifacts that actually belong to us?”
“They are our heritage. We have to begin to find a way to raise the necessary funding to take care of the relics that we have.
I am hoping I will live long to see every African country have its own serious Museums that talks about its own history,” she said.
They should be returned
Madam Taylor further said there is no hiding the facts that “those artifacts should be returned.”
When asked specifically if Liberian artifacts have been stolen that need to be returned, the Liberian Vice president said “Yes Liberia has a lot of its artifacts across universities in America and I think the time should come that we could actually ask for them to be returned.”
Many of these artifacts that are scattered across American and European Museums have become sources of revenue for these countries.
They rake in millions of dollars in revenue, with tourists paying to see them.
African countries now say they want these artifacts back because they own them.
Madam Taylor was once married to former Liberian president Charles Taylor who has now been convicted of war crimes.
Jewel Taylor served as First Lady of Liberia during her ex-husband’s presidency.
She teamed up with former football star, George Weah to win the 2017 presidential elections.
Jewel Taylor is a key voice on African heritage. This month she was a key speaker at the Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa summit held in Ghana’s capital Accra.
Africa is this year marking 400 years since slavery started with the first set of Africans leaving the shores of Africa across the Atlantic to serve as slaves in America.
There are continued push for the continent to be treated fairly and also to make sure it’s people are no longer exploited again.
Source: Africafeeds.com
