Macron Promises Return of African Cultural Treasures
Published on 7.7.25
President Emmanuel Macron promised to return cultural treasures to Ivory Coast, Senegal and Benin in 2021. The British Museum has refused to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, which were looted by Lord Elgin in 1802. Germany agreed to return 1,100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria in 2022, with the first 22 pieces handed over in December 2022. The Netherlands returned 119 Benin Bronzes sculptures to Nigeria in June 2025. Egypt's Nefertiti bust, Rosetta Stone and Dendera Zodiac are among artworks looted from Egypt and displayed in museums in Germany, UK and France.