In the wake of initiatives to repatriate Africa’s stolen property, the author of this letter asks the French President to repair what his ancestors have broken, before attempting to restore the war trophies of colonial conquest.

Manthia Diawara
Manthia Diawara is professor of comparative literature and film at New York University. He is the author of In Search of Africa; and films including Rouch In Reverse and Edouard Glissant, and One World in Relation.