From May 23 to June 06, in Mainz, four talented and visionary artists of African descent will reflect on the theme of the restitution of African cultural heritage.

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"African cultural heritage needs to be restituted!" This is the argument shared by many African cultural and political actors. However, while such arguments have been defended and heard since the times of independence, it's only in recent years that many actors in the art scenes from here and elsewhere  have become aware of the complexity of the topic restitution.

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What should be restituted? How should it be restituted? Can there be complete restitution? What might restitution, both material and non-material, look like 40-years-from-now?

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Through this exhibition, Cheria Essieke (from New Afro), the curator, aims to initiate a conversation about the future of the restitution of African cultural heritage by providing a platform for African creatives to express themselves through their artwork.

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We thank the Institut français Mainz, its partners and Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz for supporting this cultural project, which we hope will continue to grow.

We also thank Prof.Dr. Markus Messling (Director of the Käte Hamburger Center of Research for cultural practices of reparation at the University of Saarland) and Dr. Anna-Maria Brandstetter (Curator of the Ethnographic Study Collection and director of the Institute for Ethnology and African Studies at the University of Mainz) for their participation to our discussion panel, scheduled to take place on the 24.05.2024, at the Institut français Mainz.

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Stay tuned for more information and the following exhibition program.

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But first, meet the artists: Chelsea Odufu (Filmmaker, Photographer, Visual artist), Ibaaku (Music producer and Dj), Chidi Nwaubani (Multidisciplinary Artist), Nuits balnéaires (Photographer, Poet, Visual artist).