Stolen art treasures

African art treasures are stolen back in new game

A new computer game developed by South African studio Nyamakop addresses the question of how former colonial powers seized African cultural treasures, writes AFP. In “Relooted,” the player takes on the role of a thief who must steal back objects from museums in the West.

All 70 artifacts that appear in the game exist in reality. One example is the sacred Ngadji drum that the British took away from Kenya over 120 years ago. Another is “Broken Hill Man,” a human skull from Zambia that is over 300,000 years old and now in London.

The issue of Africa’s stolen cultural heritage has recently received increasing attention. A report from 2018 stated that in France alone there are over 90,000 objects. A number of objects have also been returned, including the famous Benin Bronzes that were taken to the Netherlands in the early 20th century and which also appear in the game.

“Hope the game gets more people to tell their stories”

The theft of African cultural objects by former colonial powers has deprived African countries of important knowledge about their own history. This is what Samba Yonga, co-founder of the digital Women's History Museum in Zambia, told AFP.

“Our history predates colonialism by centuries, but many people do not understand that we have a distorted image of ourselves and our history,” she says.

To increase knowledge, South African studio Nyamakop has developed the computer game “Relooted” in which the player steals back objects from museums in the West. Producer Sithe Ncube says that working on the game has made her understand the seriousness of the issue on a deeper level.

– I hope the game encourages people from African countries to tell their own stories and bring these issues to light, she says.