Britain told to return looted Azande Kingdom’s artefacts
The British government has been told to return the cultural artefacts forcefully taken from the Azande Kingdom during the colonial invasion of the then Sudan 117 years ago.
This comes after the kingdom was recently restored with the installation of Atoroba Peni Rikito as the new king in a colourful ceremony attended by senior government officials and traditional leaders from Yambio, Western Equatoria State.
In a statement, the kingdom said ruled out the demand for the compensation of King Gbudue who was killed by British colonialists underscoring that he was killed at a battlefield.
“We asked the British government to compensate us not for the death of King Gbudue because King Gbudue was killed on the battlefield, King Atoroba’s brother Prince Badagbu Daniel Rimbabsa, said as quoted by Juba Monitor.
However, Rimbasa demanded compensation for the cultural artworks, which he said were used for tourist attraction and revenue generation for the British government.
“We demand compensation for our national heritage. The British government uses our national cultural artefacts in its museums for tourism and they are gaining a lot of money that is why we need compensation,” he clarified.
The Azande King joined a number of African countries in the long fight to recover artefacts stolen by colonizers.
Last year, France returned twenty-six cultural artefacts seized from Benin by French soldiers in 1892.
The works, which include the doors of the Palace of Abomey, royal thrones and warrior dance staffs, were formally welcomed back to Benin at a ceremony presided over by President Patrice Talon.
Talon received the works from the French government in Paris on 12th November 2021.
