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A discussion in the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme series “#Restitutions. A Different Definition of the World,” on September 15, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Reclaiming one’s history means reclaiming one’s identity. At the societal level, archives therefore play a major role and are central to discussions about cultural reaffirmation. What place do they occupy today in international debates on restitution? The discussion will take place against the backdrop of the 60th anniversary of the Festival mondial des arts nègres, held in Dakar (Sénégal) in 1966, a landmark moment of cultural and political reaffirmation. Sarah Frioux-Salgas, an archivist at the musée du Quai Branly, and Mamadou Diouf, Professor of African Studies and History at Columbia University, will discuss the concept of “restitution” as applied to archives and the conditions governing access to resources: does it involve transfers of ownership, deposits, regulated circulation, certified copies, shared digitization, or hybrid arrangements? This discussion aims to foster critical reflection on possible approaches to the restitution, sharing, or circulation of archives, while examining contemporary changes in the role of heritage institutions in response to social and political demands for recognition and reparation. The discussion will also explore experiences of archival cooperation, as well as the resistance and controversies they generate. The discussion will be moderated by journalist Valérie Nivelon (RFI). The speakers Sarah Frioux-Salgas (1978) is a trained historian specializing in slavery and Pan-Africanism and has been an archivist at the musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac since 2003. She has curated four exhibitions presented at the musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac: “Présence Africaine. A Forum, a Movement, a Network” (2009, 2011 in Dakar), “Nancy Cunard’s Black Atlantic. Negro Anthology (1931–1934)” (2014); Dakar 66. “Chronicle of a Pan-African Festival” (2016); “Paul Robeson. A Man of the ‘Tout Monde’” (2018, 2021 in Dakar), and “Beyond Anthropology. Zora Neale Hurston, Eslanda Goode Robeson, Katherine Dunham” (2024). Between 2020 and 2022, she coordinated the research project “Sharing Archives: the Festival mondial des arts nègres, Dakar 1966 (FMAN).” Sarah Frioux-Salgas is also an editor at the publishing house Rot-Bô-Krik. Mamadou Diouf is Professor of African Studies and History and holds the Leitner Family Chair in African Studies and History at Columbia University in New York, United States. He is a visiting professor at the Global Studies University-Africa Institute in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). He taught in the history department at Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (1982–1991) and headed the research and documentation department of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, CODESRIA, from 1991 to 1999. He was Professor of History and African and African American Studies (2000–2007) before holding the Charles Moody Jr. Chair in History and African Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2007–2008). His publications include Senghor and the Arts: Reinventing Négritude (with Sarah Frioux Salgas and Sarah Lignier); catalogue for the exhibition of the same name at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac (March–November 2023); Beyond Négritude: Arts, Politics and Society in Dakar (with Maureen Murphy); Dijon, les presses du réel, 2020, Africa Nko; Debating the Colonial Library (with Mamadou Diawara and Jean-Bernard Ouédraogo), Paris, Présence Africaine, 2022; and Africa in World Time, published by Rot Bo Krik, Paris (2023). A journalist and audio documentary maker, Valérie Nivelon conducts historical investigations and contributes to scientific research programs focused on memory. Drawing on audio archives and testimonies, she produces radio narratives from the perspectives of participants and witnesses to tell history differently. She has regularly conducted fieldwork in Africa for more than 20 years and contributes to bringing women from history to greater prominence. Valérie Nivelon received the Scam award for best radio program in 2011. #Restitutions. A Different Definition of the World A series of discussions designed in collaboration with Valérie Nivelon (creator of the Africaines Queens podcast and host of La Marche du monde on RFI), who will moderate the debates. On June 7, 1978, Amadou Mahtar Mbow, the first African Director-General of UNESCO, issued a “solemn appeal” to all governments, cultural institutions, museums, libraries, historians, and artists for the restitution of cultural property to its countries of origin. Almost 50 years after this landmark appeal, where does the question of return stand? The “#Restitutions. A Different Definition of the World” series provides a space for reflection and dialogue on the restitution of works of art and cultural property acquired in contexts of violence and domination, and on the issues of memory, justice, and the circulation of heritage that they raise. Between April 2026 and the end of 2027, the FMSH will organize six discussions addressing a complex reality at the intersection of history, law, diplomacy, and ethics. By bringing together researchers, legal experts, collection managers, archivists, and cultural and institutional stakeholders, the series aims to provide tools for understanding and contribute to fairer, more collaborative, and more sustainable practices.
Source: paris.fr — photo: © FMSH