French President Emmanuel Macron has ratified a law facilitating the return of looted artifacts from the French colonial period.
The law grants the government the authority to return artifacts in the public domain to their countries of origin through an official document, without the need for separate legislation for each individual piece.
Cultural Property
The text of the law, published in the French Official Journal, states: “The law allows for the removal of cultural property from the public domain by direct government decree, but requires the consent of the owner if the item belongs to a public institution not affiliated with the state.”
Details of the Law
The law covers cultural property that entered France between November 20, 1815, and April 23, 1972, a period spanning from the beginning of modern French colonial expansion until the UNESCO Convention on the Restitution of Cultural Property entered into force under international law.
This follows a 2017 pledge by Macron, made during a speech in Burkina Faso, in which he affirmed his desire to improve relations with former French colonies and to reconsider the fate of their cultural heritage held in French museums.
Egyptian artifacts in France
Senior archaeologist Magdy Shaker revealed that this decision does not benefit Egypt in any way, as the law stipulates the return of cultural property that entered France between November 20, 1815, and April 23, 1972.
He explained that during this period, Egypt was not under French occupation.
Instead, the law serves the interests of countries that were colonized by France at the time – which does not include Egypt.
Artifacts in France such as the golden mask of Nefertiti, the statue of the seated scribe, the statue of Ramses II, Dendera Zodiac and more are therefore not subject to the law, he explained.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
