Deputies finally had the last word on Thursday morning, due to a lack of agreement with the senators on a common text. As the text says, France now has one year to deliver the 26 works from the Béhanzin tax to Benin. The sword known as El Hadj Omar Tall, founder of the Toucouleur Empire, has already been returned in November 2019 to the Senegalese authorities.
The text was adopted almost unanimously this morning: 48 votes in favor, none against and only two abstentions. The discussion was quick, it did not last even an hour. A quasi-consensus therefore around this text and these two articles which stipulates that the 26 works from the Béhanzin tax and that the saber with scabbard named ElHadj Omar Tall cease to be part of the French national collections from the date of entry into force of the law.
Despite this, the proposal has not gone as fast as expected. In question: France’s refund of Madronascar’s crown adorning the royal canopy of Queen Ranavalona III. A restoration occurred in early November in full debate in the Senate on this bill. This was not to the liking of the senators, especially on the right, who criticized the CEO for leaving cultural property to a foreign country without asking Parliament for its opinion.
In the process, senators then proposed creating a structure responsible for “better scientific framing” of future refunds. The proposal was rejected by the government and the majority. As a result, the Senate on Tuesday refused to vote on the bill.
The countdown begins
So the National Assembly had the last word this morning. This is always the case when there is no agreement between the two chambers. This sling of senators was not led anyway against these repayments per se. “Our vote is by no means a vote against refunds in Benin and Senegal,” said Laurent Lafon, chairman of the Senate’s cultural affairs yesterday. This is, he explained, an opposition to the government’s method. “
At the Elysee Palace, we are today pleased with the adoption of this text and the progress made since 2017 to get there. The countdown is now on. If the sword El Hadj Omar Tall returned to Dakar last year, France now has one year to hand over the 26 works of the Béhanzin tax to the Benin authorities, which were looted in 1892 by General Dodds under the sack. from Abomey Palace.
For several months, Cotonou has been working with Paris to welcome these works. The repayment is expected at the end of next year. These pieces will first be exhibited temporarily at the International Museum of Memory and Slavery in Ouidah before being permanently transferred to the Museum of the Epic of the Amazons and the Kings of Dahomey.
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