00:05Mali's commitment to return its historical treasures was announced at the Bamako International
00:11Conference Centre during a meeting organised by the Ministry of Culture.
00:16It came three months after the establishment of the National Commission for the Restitution
00:21of Cultural Property.
00:23The Commission says it will identify Malian artefacts held around the world and work with
00:28museums, collectors and private owners to facilitate their return.
00:33It comes after a royal figure in the German state of Bavaria officially expressed his intention
00:38to return more than 200 cultural artefacts to the West African country.
00:45We have begun to see some results, notably the 223 cultural artefacts that His Highness has
00:51kindly agreed to donate to Mali.
00:53We have only just begun our work.
00:55We do not yet know how many cultural artefacts are held abroad, but we are certain of one
01:01thing.
01:01Malian cultural artefacts are to be found in many countries.
01:07For members of the Restitution Commission, the effort goes beyond recovering objects.
01:14Cultural heritage constitutes our memory, our history, which we cannot leave behind.
01:20So we need to reclaim our history and our memory, which we will now teach in our schools, which
01:26we will now pass on within our families and which we will now showcase in our museums.
01:32Culture Minister Mahmoud Delph says the initiative is central to Mali's drive for cultural sovereignty
01:38and national renewal.
01:42There isn't one specific artefact that we are tracking.
01:45We are going to search for works forming part of Mali's national heritage in every country
01:50around the world where they exist.
01:52We are going to investigate.
01:53We are going to search.
01:55We are going to find them.
01:56We are going to catalogue them.
01:58And we are going to bring these works back.
02:03Once returned, the artefacts are expected to be preserved and displayed at the National
02:08Museum of Mali.
02:09The ministry is appealing to institutions and private holders worldwide to support the effort.
02:15It says more than 900 artefacts have already been returned by the United States, while discussions
02:21continue with some European countries over the return of Malian heritage.
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