Sovereignty and the return of African cultural property.
Dakar, February 23–25, 2026

In partnership with the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire (IFAN), Cheikh Anta Diop University the Museum of Black Civilisations , the Musée historique de Gorée and the Musée Théodore Monod of African Arts, the international research program ReTours is organizing an event in Dakar from February 23 to 26, 2026. T
his event consists of ;
- an international conference with a call for papers,
- an exhibition,
- master classes, and a competition for UCAD doctoral students.
The collaborative research program ReTours: Geopolitics, Economies, and Imaginaries of Restitution has brought together some 20 researchers from different disciplines since 2020. Through surveys conducted in a dozen countries, the project aims to shift the focus of research:
- from the West to the African countries concerned
- from issues of restitution to issues of return
- from a museum-centered vision to the roles of diasporas and tourism
- from official heritage bodies and authorities to places, narratives, and transmissions considered marginal, secondary, or unofficial.
The ReTours program has worked to analyze the positions on returns and restitutions in Cameroon, Benin, Senegal, and Mali. In addition to publications and a blog, seminars, workshops, conferences, performances, and exhibitions have been held in three of the countries where the project is being implemented: Benin (2022), Cameroon (2023), and France (2024). To conclude this cycle, ReTours is organizing an event in Dakar from February 23 to 26, 2026, in partnership with IFAN and Cheikh Anta Diop University. This event will consist of an international symposium with a call for papers, an exhibition, master classes, and a competition for students.
Call for papers for the Dakar 2026 conference
deadline Oct. 30, 2025