Cameroon: REGARTLESS Returns Looted Artefacts to Lebang Community.

Most of the artifacts which have been away from their natural home for more than 100 years belong to the Kungang society; a society which cleans witchcraft from the village

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – When Sylvie Njobati saw that some of the rich Bangwa artefacts looted decades ago were being sold online, she knew she had to act. It is a fight that she has been waging for some time, fighting for the return of looted Cameroonian artefacts.

The fight seems to be gradually won as the Lebang community has been the recipient of eight (8) significant cultural and spiritual heritages sold in auction and online in The Netherlands and Germany.

The artefacts include totems of Kings to Sacred (Secret) Society Masks, significant to the people of the Bangwa land was officially handed over by REGARTLESS, formerly known as Sysy House of Fame, a Non-Governmental Organization working on cross-cutting global issues such as Decolonisation, Social Justice, Women Empowerment, and Human Rights, on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at the ST Muna Foundation in Yaounde.

Experts estimate that more than 95% of Africa's Heritage is held elsewhere in the world. A recent study by the famous Benedicte Savoy and her team shows that 40,000 objects from Cameroon, ranging from Human remains to Royal heritage such as crowns and thrones, are in German museums. Like Nso, Bele Bele, Tibati, Sawa, Bamileke, and Bali, invaluable heritages from Bangwa are among these 40,000.

A significant Milestone

For ages, the Bangwa community has been custodians of a rich cultural heritage formed by their history, traditions, and deep-rooted connections to the land. Today, Bangwa has some of the most treasured Heritage on the globe, looming in museums and private collections.

“These eight heritages that have brought us together today were acquired BY REGARTLESS under our new program: Web of Plunder,” Sylvie Vernyuy Njobati, Founder of REGARTLESS said. “My respect goes to Chief Charles Taku, who has taken several initiatives to ensure the return of Bangwa Heritage. He raised the alarm on the online trafficking of Bangwa heritage, and during this call, I could see the pain he was going through knowing that his ancestral wreaths were on sale.”

“To the Bangwa community, I say this: the return of your cultural Heritage is a testament to your craving to reclaim what rightfully belongs to you. It recognizes the values your traditions, customs, and cultural expressions bring to Africa and the world.”

Sylvie Njobati added: “As we celebrate today, we must remember that we have unfinished business with humanity: reclaiming our dignity, our stories and experiences, our histories and indigenous knowledge, and our Heritage. It rightly belongs to you. On behalf of REGARTLESS, We pledge to strengthen our collective resolve to protect, preserve, and promote cultural Heritage first on the African continent and then elsewhere.”

Fight not over for other looted artefacts

The Fon of Fontem, Fon Asabaton said art from Lebang-Fontem is highly prized by collectors and museums. He said: “We are here to take back some of our artefacts which have been away from their natural home for over 100 years. As you see, most of the artefacts we are receiving today belong to the Kungang society, which is the society that cleans witchcraft from the village.”

"Our artefacts will never forget their home and I can only imagine the joy that will fill your hearts on the day the Bangwa Queen and King, the royal staffs of Fontem and all our other jewels will be returned to us,” Fon Asabaton said, addressing the Lebang indigenes that turned out for the ceremony.

The artefacts at German museums of world culture include textiles, musical instruments, ceremonial masks, royal treasures like stools and thrones, texts, tools, and weapons — "none of which were conceived as display objects for vitrines.

"Most of the arts that are in foreign archives come from Fontem. We know the names of some of the people who made the artworks. Many artefacts were taken out of Fontem between 1897 and when the Germans attacked Fontem, they looted the entire royal collection and burnt down the palace," Mbe Tazi Ateawung of Njeh-Mveh, Fontem told Pan African Visions.

Dr Ernest Folefack, who hails from Lebang and a teacher of International Law at the University of Dschang, said: “These artefacts are very important to us the Lebang people as our culture is based on these artefacts… We want the Germans to understand that we might even give them compensation for the others in their keeping. But they should know that the remaining artefacts belong to us."