A new AI-powered tool is helping track restitution work underway across Africa.
Launched this week by pan-African research organization Open Restitution Africa, the platform helps to collate and narrativize the often-fragmented research and bureaucracy involved in the return of artifacts to Africa, many of which were stolen by Europeans during the colonial period.
Restitution negotiations are usually “Europe-to-Africa conversations,” co-founder Molemo Moiloa told Semafor, adding that while major European museums will have dedicated staff working on restitution, on the continent, many claims are taken up by museum workers or community members during their spare time.
“When different stakeholders collaborate across different lines, that’s when restitution breakthroughs happen,” fellow co-founder Chao Tayiana Maina said.