Doc. 9367

5 February 2002

Ending the plundering of African cultural objects

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mr Jacques Legendre and others

The growing fashion on the international market for representative objects from African civilisations is exerting pressure on the states from which these objects originate that is difficult for them to resist.

The prices paid on the international market encourage trafficking of all forms.

It is essential to raise moral standards in this trade, so as to ensure that African cultural objects remain in the regions in which they were originally created.

There are two objectives, material and moral, in maintaining items “on-site” in this way:

- ensuring that information exists about the context of objects ransacked by illegal excavations and trade;

- returning a legitimate pride in their own artistic creations to the populations concerned; abusive commercialisation distorts such pride, which extends to the religious uses for which the items were originally intended.

Thus, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the governments of member states:

- to ratify the Unidroit Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects;

- to disseminate regularly the lists published by UNESCO indicating objects that have been registered as stolen, particularly those from the African continent, and to make available any databases indicating cultural objects that have been illegally exported to dealers and buyers;

- to warn their own institutions against the purchase of any illegally exported objects;

- to train police and customs officials in searching for illegally exported objects;

- to restore illegally exported cultural objects to the countries of origin, in necessary after compensating purchasers who have bought in good faith, as set out in the Unidroit Convention;

- to include methods of assisting with setting up, maintaining and renovating establishments to preserve, study and enhance representative objects from African civilisations in their co-operation agreements with states from this continent;

- to include measures to promote the training of scientific staff in studying, restoring and enhancing African cultures’ heritage in such agreements;

- to invite, in particular, the European Union to include such measures in its Agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific states;

- finally, to promote the conservation, restoration, study and promotion of legally acquired cultural objects from the African civilisations in their own universities, history of art institutions and museums, including through assistance from African scientific staff.

Signed : ¹

Legendre, France, EDG

Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD

Berceanu, Romania, SOC

Birraux, France, EPP/CD

Briane, France, EPP/CD

Brînzan, Romania, SOC

Clerfayt, Belgium, LDR

de Puig, Spain, SOC

Evin, France, SOC

Fernández Aguilar, Spain, EPP/CD

Grignon, France, EPP/CD

Lemoine, France, SOC

Malgieri, Italy, EDG

Masson, France, EDG

Michel, France, SOC

Mignon, France, EDG

Mitterrand, France, SOC

Olteanu, Romania, SOC

Padilla, Spain, EPP/CD

Pangalos, Greece, SOC

Piscitello, Italy, LDR

Poty, Belgium, SOC

Prisăcaru, Romania, SOC

Puche, Spain, EPP/CD

Roseta, Portugal, EPP/CD

Timmermans, Belgium, SOC

Wielowieyski, Poland, EPP/CD

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group