Barbier-Mueller Museum returns stolen Makonde Mask to the National Museum of Tanzania

Yusuf Badi, Daily News online edition 24 May 2010

Under the auspices of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the United Republic of Tanzania and the Barbier-Mueller Museum of Geneva signed an agreement in May 2010 for the “donation” of the Makonde Mask to the National Museum of Tanzania. See ICOM Press Release, below. There are some individuals who would argue that the use of the term donation is patronising as the issue at hand is really that of restitution. There are those who feel that there is no need to dwell on semantics as the real goal (restitution) has been achieved. 

The Makonde Mask was stolen together with 16 other artefacts during a break-in at the National Museum of Tanzania, in Dar Es Salaam. Upon discovering the origins of the mask, the Barbier-Mueller museum immediately informed ICOM and this was discussed at numerous meeting, including the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation before the mask was “donated”. The word donation in this case seems like an effort to absolve the museum and the Swiss Government of any wrong-doing. The fact that the museum acquired a stolen artefact is completely ignored, while, the usual notions of Europe giving donations to Africa are once again promoted, even if the goods being donated were stolen from those very Africans. 

Press Release
Paris, 10 May, 2010

Makonde Mask: Signing of an agreement for the donation of the Barbier-Mueller Museum of Geneva to the National Museum of Tanzania

Under the auspices of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the United Republic of Tanzania and the Barbier-Mueller Museum of Geneva have signed an agreement for the donation of the Makonde Mask to the National Museum of Tanzania.

The event took place on Monday 10 May in Paris, in the presence of ICOM Director General Mr Julien Anfruns; the Permanent Secretary and the Head of the Legal Unit of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania, Dr Donatius M. K. Kamamba and Mrs Caroline Mchome; co-funder of the Barbier-Mueller Museums, Mrs Monique Barbier-Mueller; and Director General of the Barbier-Mueller Museums, Mrs Laurence Mattet.

The Barbier-Mueller Museum informed first the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in July 1990, the a Makonde Mask purchased in September 1985 in Paris, might have been removed from the Dar Es Salaam Museum, based on information provided by Prof. Enrico Castelli, of the University of Perugia in Italy.

Due to a misunderstanding, the Makonde Mask was one of the three cases reviewed by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation. The donation of the Makonde Mask is the successful outcome of more than 20 years of negotiations and efforts by the two parties involved as well as ICOM’s good offices.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of the United Republic of Tanzania would like to express its gratitude to the Barbier-Mueller Museum for its handling of the case from the very beginning.

Historical overview of the Makonde Mask

In 1984, a Makonde Mask was stolen together with 16 other artefacts during a break-in at the National Museum of Tanzania, located in Dar Es Salaam. The theft was reported to all relevant authorities at national and international levels, including the Tanzanian police, INTERPOL and the International Council of Museums.

In 1990, an Italian professor of the University of Perugia informed the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva, Switzerland, that a Makonde Mask in its collections might have been removed from the Dar Es Salaam Museum. The Barbier-Mueller Museum immediately transmitted the information to ICOM and reported that the object had been purchased in Paris in September 1985.

The Barbier-Mueller Museum initiated thereafter appropriate steps and proposals to try and facilitate a possible return of the Makonde Mask to Tanzania. In 2002 the Barbier-Mueller Museum formally indicated conditions under which it would be prepared to transfer the ownership of the Makonde Mask to the United Republic of Tanzania. Though the Director General of the National Museums of Tanzania highly appreciated the handling of the case by

the Barbier-Mueller Museum, the involved parties could not reach a compromise over the issue of ownership of the object.

In 2006 negotiations stopped after the United Republic of Tanzania filed a request for the return of the Makonde Mask with the Secretariat of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation. In reaction to Tanzania’s action, the Barbier-Mueller Museum filed a formal and official complaint against the United Republic ofTanzania with the Federal Office of Culture of Switzerland.

Finally in August 2009 the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania informed the Barbier-Mueller Museum of its intent to accept the conditions proposed by the Swiss Museum in 2002.

A governmental delegation of Tanzania met the representatives of the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva on 6 November, 2009 to conduct good faith discussions and negotiations which have paved the way for the donation of the Makonde Mask to the United Republic of Tanzania.

For further information see:

Daily News, 24 May 2010.

Museum Security Network,