France and the restitution of cultural goods: the Sarr-Savoy report and its reception

This policy review discusses the November 2018 Report on the Restitution of African Cultural Heritage: Toward a New Relational Ethics – more commonly known as the Sarr-Savoy Report – submitted to the French president. The report provides an analysis as well as a number of strategies for returning a number of cultural items and artworks to African nations that were acquired by France during the colonial era. The report also claims that its aim is to establish a new relational ethics between France and African nations through heritage work and institutions. In this policy review, we will discuss the arguments and observations contained in the report, as well as the main recommendations it makes. Additionally, we will provide an overview of responses to this report, and of the realization and implementation of the report’s recommendations halfway through its five-year timeline. Finally, we will engage with the ethical and professional dimensions that stem from this important moment – a moment that represents a turning point in current restitution debates for French museums, libraries, and archives.