https://restitutionmatters.org/
RM* has been an important communication network since 2018, focusing on restitution and collections housing heritage from countries that were colonized. Following great success with its initial communication channels (newsletter and social media), RM* launched its own website in 2025, which we strongly recommend following closely.
Published in English, the blog provides further insights into research, art, and restitution news from and related to English-speaking countries.
RM* was created to bridge the information gap between the Global South and the Global North regarding collections acquired under dubious circumstances in colonial contexts and their future. It started in 2017 with around sixty participants and now has over 3,000 users worldwide, the majority of whom are from Global South countries.
You can subscribe to the RM* newsletter via the website (https://restitutionmatters.org/about-rm/) and also follow their publications on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.
Redaction team :
- Jos van Beurden, researcher and journalist, has specialised in the study of colonial collections and restitution issues since the 1990s, when the debate on these issues was still low-profile and marginal in the fields of research, culture and politics. He is the author of numerous books and articles on these issues, including Treasures in Trusted Hands – Negotiating the Future of Colonial Cultural Objects (2017)
- Arjanti Sosrohadikoesoemo, who joined RM* in 2021 to develop the news service via social networks. A museum collections manager, she has extensive experience in the museum sector and a passion for culture and history.
The partnership between restitutionmatters.org and retours.hypotheses.org aims to enhance awareness of restitution research and current developments by translating and sharing selected content from both platforms on an international scale.
La restitution de biens culturels entre la France et le Bénin. Journal d’un processus historique (2016-2022) raconte de l’intérieur un épisode central de l’histoire postcoloniale du Bénin et de la France : la restitution de 26 biens culturels. Rappelons le contexte : après la demande Béninoise de 2016 et le discours du président Macron en 2017, la France a voté une loi d’exception le 24 décembre 2020 concernant la restitution de 26 biens à la République du Bénin et 1 sabre à la République du Sénégal. Déjà en dépôt au musées des civilisations noires de Dakar, la restitution officielle du sabre au Sénégal a permis de signer quelques contrats. La restitution au Bénin est en revanche, dans le paysage français, une exception. Travaillant depuis 6 ans sur les questions de restitution, en particulier entre la France et le Bénin, je pensais trouver dans cet ouvrage le détail chronologique d’événements déjà connus. Ce « journal d’un processus historique » est bien plus que cela : il constitue à la fois une ethnographie précise et amusée de la politique française et une mine d’informations passionnantes pour qui s’intéresse aux restitutions.



