PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron’s decision to recover the works pillaged by Western explorers or colonisers, about 90 per cent of Africa’s cultural heritage, and to return it back to the continent has sparked a debate online.

The report was obviously received by massive outrage as without these artifacts French museums would be nearly empty. Though the art should be returned with interest the French feel there is no need to return them claiming that Africa may not be able to sustain and look after the artifacts.

To date out of a total of 90,000 artworks only 26 statues and thrones have been returned to Africa. Progress, though is very slow. President Macron’s decision has been categorised as “the new era of thought” and the path to a more hopeful future.

The British greed was so rapacious that the subcontinent’s colonial period was a sorry saga of Indians being exploited for spices jewels, textiles, soldiering, tea, cotton, natural resources worth more than $40 trillion. They finally left after two world wars in 35 years left them too weak to want to physically hold on to their empire and the jewel in English crown.

The repatriation for the looted resources can be debated till kingdom come but a strong case can be made for the return of our art that still resides in foreign lands.

The majority of Mughal art is currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum which has almost 6,000 paintings, besides the famous Tipu Sultan’s carved wooden tiger, Shah Jahan’s wine cup adorned with fine jewels, a back scratcher made of ivory, gold and jade for Mughal royalty and much more.

Clearly these artifacts won’t be returning to us any time soon unless we vigorously reclaim what is ours. As a Pakistani I request the nation to become more culturally aware. We have a very rich history and we should demand the return of what is ours. It is solely our right after the fascist extremists in New Delhi have repudiated that they want to have no truck with Muslims.

Suhaima Jawad Majeed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2020