Italy and African nations launch training program to combat art trafficking
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Italy and several African nations have launched a professional training program to combat the illegal trafficking of cultural property. The initiative is part of the Piano Mattei, a strategic cooperation plan between Italy and Africa.
The National School for Cultural Heritage and Cultural Activities in Italy signed a three-year agreement with the École du Patrimoine Africain in Porto-Novo, Benin.
This partnership focuses on training museum and cultural institution professionals from nine French-speaking African countries, including Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Morocco, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia. The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage provides investigative expertise to the program. Participants learn to improve technical skills in documenting collections, digitizing inventories, and conducting provenance research.
By establishing the history of ownership and movement for artifacts, experts can identify items that were stolen or excavated illegally. These efforts aim to prevent looted objects from entering private collections or international markets. The cooperation follows a history of complex restitution cases, such as the return of the 1,700-year-old Axum obelisk to Ethiopia in 2005. It also relates to the recent transfer of 512 objects from Germany to Nigeria.
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stated the agreement focuses on reciprocity and shared knowledge to protect cultural identity and historical memory.
