{"id":1168,"date":"2025-07-02T16:43:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T16:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=1168"},"modified":"2025-07-02T16:43:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T16:43:10","slug":"angola-and-cape-verde-to-portugal-return-our-stolen-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/angola-and-cape-verde-to-portugal-return-our-stolen-heritage\/","title":{"rendered":"Angola and Cape Verde to Portugal: Return Our Stolen Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>\ud83c\udfad What\u2019s at Stake?<\/h2>\n<p>The poll, conducted across Angola, Cape Verde, and Portugal, shows a clear desire for justice through restitution.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>58% of Angolans<\/strong> want sacred masks, sculptures, and cultural treasures returned.<\/li>\n<li><strong>63% of Cape Verdeans<\/strong> agree.<br \/>\nThese artefacts, often housed in European museums and private collections, represent centuries of identity and spirituality\u2014now severed from their rightful communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cThese aren\u2019t just objects. They are echoes of ancestors, of stories lost in the voyage of empire.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>\ud83e\udded A Complicated History<\/h2>\n<p>From the 15th century until the mid-20th, Portugal\u2019s empire stretched across Africa, Asia, and South America. Angola and Cape Verde, colonized for hundreds of years, were not only exploited for resources but also stripped of cultural heritage.<br \/>\nThousands of artefacts were seized\u2014some taken violently, others through coercive &#8220;agreements.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The same poll shows that nearly <strong>60% of Angolans and Cape Verdeans<\/strong> believe Portugal should <strong>apologize<\/strong> for its colonial crimes. In contrast, less than half of Portuguese respondents agree, revealing a deep rift in historical perspective.<\/p>\n<h2>\ud83d\uddff Statues Stand, Apologies Wait<\/h2>\n<p>Interestingly, while many want artefacts returned, the <strong>majority across all three nations oppose tearing down colonial-era statues<\/strong>. For many, the statues are seen not as glorification, but reminders\u2014signposts pointing to uncomfortable truths.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, there is growing support\u2014<strong>58% in Portugal<\/strong>\u2014for erecting a <strong>national memorial in Lisbon<\/strong> honoring victims of the transatlantic slave trade.<\/p>\n<h2>\ud83e\udde8 Politics and Pushback<\/h2>\n<p>Portugal\u2019s political climate complicates matters. The far-right <strong>Chega party<\/strong>, now the country\u2019s main opposition, opposes reparations and repatriation. This has stalled serious policy discussions, despite increasing international precedent for cultural restitution.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, African countries like <strong>Mozambique, Benin, Nigeria<\/strong>, and <strong>Ethiopia<\/strong> are pursuing the return of cultural treasures looted during colonial rule.<\/p>\n<h2>\ud83c\udf0d Why This Matters<\/h2>\n<p>This isn\u2019t just about returning artefacts\u2014it\u2019s about <strong>healing<\/strong>. Cultural restitution is one step toward acknowledging past wrongs and empowering future generations.<br \/>\nFor Angola and Cape Verde, it\u2019s about <strong>reclaiming what was taken<\/strong>\u2014not only art, but dignity, memory, and voice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83c\udfad What\u2019s at Stake? The poll, conducted across Angola, Cape Verde, and Portugal, shows a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",1200,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-150x150.avif",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-300x180.avif",300,180,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-768x461.avif",640,384,true],"large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-1024x614.avif",640,384,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",1200,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",1200,720,false],"wpucv-grid-three":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",360,216,false],"wpucv-grid-two":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",600,360,false],"wpucv-grid-one":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",800,480,false],"wpucv-classic":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",283,170,false],"wpucv-classic-small":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",150,90,false],"wpucv-galary":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3.avif",400,240,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-1115x715.avif",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-800x500.avif",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-1024x614.avif",1024,614,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-540x340.avif",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angola-heritage-3-400x250.avif",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["vicrollion"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","tag_info":"Uncategorized","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1171,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions\/1171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}