Belgium’s Africa Museum reopened on Saturday after a five-year restoration to repackage its looted treasures with a critical view of the country’s brutal colonial past. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo hailed a “historic moment” and said it would open “a new chapter” in Belgian-African relations. The reopening of the former Royal Museum for Central Africa in the Tervuren Palace outside Brussels comes amid a renewed European debate about returning stolen artefacts. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to return 26 cultural artefacts to Benin “without delay”, a move likely to put pressure on other former colonial powers to return African artworks to their countries of origin. Macron said the decision should not be seen as an isolated or symbolic case and proposed a conference in Paris next year to discuss an “exchange policy” for African treasures. “Restitution should no longer be tab<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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