Open Restitution Africa's 25 Case Studies of African Restitution Journeys and Restitution Work

Open Restitution Africa (ORA) is a pan-African, women-led organisation dedicated to aggregating and disseminating information about processes pertaining to the restitution of African belongings and human ancestors. By documenting the rich legacy of restitution efforts led by African communities, experts, and institutions, ORA aims to reshape the restitution narrative to center African practitioners, increasing the effectiveness of such processes across the continent and worldwide.

Between 2019 - 2026, we set out to map and document the processes that underpin the restitution of African heritage material from the perspective of Africans actively engaged in restitution work. 

Data gathered from 2023 - 2025 yielded a first-of-its-kind qualitative dataset comprising 25 in-depth restitution case studies from 13 African countries. Collated through a bespoke research methodology that prioritised oral history and the lived experiences of African communities, ORA worked with case study researchers from various countries to document how restitution happens and who or what is involved in moving restitution forward at a grassroots level. 

The result is a data set that encompasses 200 years of African restitution efforts structured into a series of ‘events’ - consolidated moments, occurrences, and/or activities related to the restitution of a belonging or human ancestor within each case study. It is designed to offer a comparative and synthesized analysis of the processes that underpin the restitution of African material cultural heritage. It also serves as evidence-based that can influence future decision-making around restitution structures, policies, and governance frameworks.

The case studies are drawn from Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In this collection you will find the research data from our 25 case studies, as well as the datasets that were developed to support the Restitution Journeys, Case Studies and Data Dashboard features on our Open Data Platform. This data can also be explored through our Query The Data tool.