Sokoto Caliphate Wants Artifacts “Stolen” By The UK, US, And France In 1903 Back
The Sokoto Caliphate has asked for the restitution of historical artifacts that were taken in 1903 by France’s, America’s, and the United Kingdom’s colonial overlords.
The looted literary, artistic, and intellectual works, artifacts, and relics, according to the SokotoDNA Project, were items that had a strong psychological impact on the descendants.
The group said that they included women, children, and wounded people who were indiscriminately slain or put to death for resisting the colonial invasion.
Balarabe Shehu Kakale Shuni, a member of the National Assembly (NASS), along with the heads of five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Sokoto, signed the declaration, which was also copied to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
The statement reads; “There was a deliberate colonial policy made to subvert and deny our people contextual functional education, healthcare, commerce, and housing as well as scanty employment opportunities through deliberate strangulation of the caliphate cottage industries.
“The SokotoDNA placed on notice the countries responsible for the invasion and in possession of the caliphate’s intellectual, literary works, artifacts, and relics as the Republic of France, USA and the United Kingdom, and requested the unconditional return for restitution of all historical objects to their various original owners of the caliphate.
“The literary works are our irrevocable, changeable and distinctive DNA, an important part of our past, our history, our heritage, our pride, and symbols of heroism and sacrifice of our forefathers and allowing them to relinquish in the museums of other nations robs us of our history, our pride and our divinity as a people.”
