I was contacted a few days ago by a Rfi journalist about an event that happened in a French auction, and she wanted to have my expert opinion about it.

This is what she posted on Facebook :

Rosie Collyer

This story caught my attention as soon as it broke here in France.

So, I was delighted to interview the real life “Indiana Jones”, Altho Bouli

and African art dealer David Norden. Here’s what they told me:

en.rfi.fr/africa/20190326-activists-france-prevent-auction-african-artefacts

en.rfi.fr|By RFI English

Activists in France prevent auction of African artefacts

The auction of 40 artefacts taken from the ancient kingdom of Dahomey…

A series of artefacts taken from the ancient kingdom of Dahomey by French soldiers following a battle in the 19th century are at the centre of a major row concerning African art repatriation policy; the artefacts found their way into private collections and now their movements have been curtailed by the French Ministry of Culture. In November 2018 President Macron ordered the return of artefacts from Africa held in public collections to countries with bilateral agreements with France, including Benin, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Sentiments can run high on this topic, so I also spoke to internationally-renowned art dealer David Norden, to get an art historical perspective.

You can listen to my passionate view on the repatriation controversy below