Liberia Calls for Global Solidarity in Restitution and Restoration of African Heritage at UNESCO Africa Week 2025

In a powerful keynote address delivered at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris during Africa Week 2025, Ambassador Lorenzo Llewellyn Witherspoon, Special Envoy on Cultural & Heritage Diplomacy for the Republic of Liberia, issued a resounding call for global solidarity to restore African heritage through the transformative pillars of education, culture, and science. Speaking on the theme “Global Solidarity for the Restitution and Restoration of African Heritage through Education, Culture, and Sciences,” Ambassador Witherspoon emphasized the historical and contemporary relevance of Africa’s contributions to global knowledge, as well as the critical need to reclaim displaced cultural treasures and repair the intellectual rupture caused by colonialism. Africa has always been at the forefront of human ingenuity,” Ambassador Witherspoon declared. “From the advanced ironwork of the Nok civilization to the astronomical knowledge of the Dogon and the learning centers of Timbuktu, our legacy is rich. Yet, this legacy has been systematically erased, appropriated, or ignored.” He called for a new global compact—one based not on symbolic gestures but on concrete actions. These include restoring displaced cultural artifacts, investing in Africa’s research capacity, revising curricula to reflect African perspectives, and addressing historical injustices that continue to impede the continent’s development.

The Ambassador drew attention to the intellectual and cultural dispossession experienced across Africa and the African diaspora, invoking the CARICOM Reparatory Justice agenda and linking it to Africa’s broader fight for dignity and historical memory. “Destroying historical memory is a crime requiring reparations,” he stated, reinforcing the role of museums, educational institutions, and cultural exchange in healing intergenerational trauma. Highlighting the plight of the African diaspora, Ambassador Witherspoon spoke movingly about the forced separation of enslaved Africans from their homelands, describing it as a “fundamental element of the colonial agenda” that continues to inflict cultural and social alienation. “Reparatory justice,” he affirmed, “must include restoring dignity and rebuilding the bridges of belonging. In a poignant moment, the Ambassador recounted a conversation with a young Liberian archaeology student who had seen her ancestral mask locked behind glass in a European museum. Her haunting question—“How do we connect with our ancestors when we must buy tickets to see the only symbols left to remember them?”—underscored the deep emotional toll of cultural dispossession.

Ambassador Witherspoon urged the international community to view 2025 as a turning point: “Let us designate 2025 as our fifth year—a year characterized by deliberate action, following years of preparation and reflection.” He concluded with a call to transform Africa Week from a ceremonial gathering into a launchpad for systemic change. “Let this be the year we reclaim what is ours—not simply in artifacts or archives, but in spirit, story, and self-determination. Together, through science, culture, and education, we can shape a future in which African heritage is not only restored but empowered to thrive.