By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Arrangements have reached its crescendo by a not for-profit organization operating in Nigeria on the auspices of State of African Diaspora, SOAD, to repatriate all the artifacts which were illegally taken away from museums in Africa to other continents of Europe and America.
This was disclosed by the Resident Ambassador of SOAD, Amb. Dr. Evelyn Eyo-Honesty Ogbogu, at a grand reception organised yesterday in Calabar, by Adohose (Otu Effiom) community, Biquo Town, Cross River State.
She stated that with collaborative effort with the organization, artifacts that were illegally taken away from the continent of Africa during the colonial era, would be brought back to the original communities from where they were carted away.
Ogbogu, who doubles as Deputy Dean of Ambassadors, (West Africa), South West and African Forum Federation, SWAFF, which has been sensitizing the communities, averred that the organization has a mechanism put in place to ensure that historical artifacts found in far away countries in Europe, America, Asia and Canada, but belong to Africans are returned back to their countries of origin in as much as they were illegally taken away from their original owners.
The Resident Ambassador said, “We will repatriate all historical artifacts taken away from the South South, the South East and indeed all the geo-political regions of the country back to museums in the country.
“It’s the reason that the organization has been calling on communities, particularly in Nigeria, who feel that their historical artifacts were illegally taken to other countries of the world to apply to the organization for assistance.
“We are passionate and ready to give assistance to such communities. We did that and the artifacts belonging to some communities in Edo State were returned to the original owners in Edo state. We are not tired of advancing that course.”
She stressed that every piece of artifacts that are of historical interest to communities in the country would be retrieved in as much as the communities write to the organization, indicating interest to get their artifacts back.
She added, “As long as kingdoms recognizes the fact that artifacts were stolen from their kingdoms and taken to other continents, our organization will assist them to retrieve these historical relics.”
She averred that the SOAD already have a standby research team, working round the clock, checking which artifact belongs to a particular country, adding that the artifacts in question would come home with some cash as compensation to the community of origin
“Luckily every artifact that was taken from Africa is branded and named and this makes the job easy,” she maintained.
She enthused, “For those who are in doubt, let me announced to you that Edo State has received some of their artifacts, with about 20 percent of the money value.”
