The characteristic features of a region, namely the language, habits and customs, folk rhythms and artistic works, to name but a few, are not only means of expression through which a tradition is perpetuated, but also the means by which it spreads or becomes known beyond national spheres in order to become international and make foreigners want to visit a country.
Knowing the symbolism of an artistic work, a local dance, royal emblems, the name of the spoken language and its essence, and traditional rites is to have an idea of the culture in question.
If during the colonial period and taking advantage of a position of power which granted no rights to indigenous populations several objects were illicitly taken to the West to either be exhibited in museums or in private homes, today with the end of these shameful episodes, Africans are claiming what belongs to them because they believe that the fact that these objects have left their land in a contentious manner is a desecration of their cultural heritage.
We want to be valued externally, but we prefer even better that this be done within the norm; that is to say with the consent of both parties. This is why restitution procedures are underway in order to repatriate as much work as possible, not only to assume the role we had to play during this unfortunate episode in history, but also to allow Africans to be at peace with their history in order to better value what makes them original regardless of what they have in common with the former colonizing powers, namely the language, which is the fruit of a common history.
Returning what was illicitly taken is contributing to the restoration of a heritage which has been desecrated and which requires a duty of memory or acts of reparation in order to provide a solid basis for bilateral and multilateral relations essential in the valorisation, the preservation and perpetuation of singular and community cultural identities.
Language as a colonial heritage to preserve and enrich
Language as a colonial heritage is no longer the property of a people but of a set of singularities which share one and the same language. International linguistic communities are groups where cultural disparities are understood through a common heritage to be preserved and enriched despite everything, notably through the officialization of certain forms of expression, types of language, intonations and assonances which all relate to the same reality which varies depending on the context and in no way hinders the singularity of a terroir, but rather contributes to its export to the rest of the world for the greatest happiness of all these people who travel together towards cultural integration concerned with promoting the multiple singularities which compose and characterize it while campaigning in favour of the preservation and enrichment of a common heritage.
Adopting a foreign language is therefore not an opportunity to deny one's origins and settle for only what one has in common with others. Through his culture, the other tells us who he is; through ours, we let him know who we are and it is this sum of specificities which constitutes the community to be valued that we are or that we constitute.
Also read : African Cultural Heritage : between preservation and responsabilities of an extrovert generation
There is no true integration except that which does not first deny itself and which respects that of others.Before being part of a cultural community, we are first of all a cultural identity to be valued, particularly through the multiple showcases that the privilege of belonging to the same community offers us.
It is by truly assuming a common past that the profitability of interculturality is more significant. What we are will always depend on what we were, just as the solution to the many problems we face can be found by doing a useful introspection or retrospective.
A present that denies its past is an illusion. To act in this way is to be content with a chimerical life which only satisfies unacknowledged selfishness and refractory to the true development of the person or the valorisation of a culture on the national and international scene. The gradual return of objects illicitly taken in Africa must be able to continue to contribute to better development.
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"African Artifacts, Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois" by Ken Lund is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.
