The Theft and Return of the Nalindele Mask to Livingstone Museum in the Early 1990s
Year: 2026
Type: dataset
Abstract: Between 2019 - 2026, Open Restitution Africa (ORA) set out to map and document the processes that underpin the restitution of African heritage material from the perspective of Africans actively engaged in restitution work. Data gathered from 2023 - 2025 yielded a first-of-its-kind qualitative dataset comprising 25 in-depth restitution case studies from 13 African countries. Collated through a bespoke research methodology that prioritised oral history and the lived experiences of African communities, ORA worked with case study researchers from various countries to document how restitution happens and who or what is involved in moving restitution forward at a grassroots level. The result is a data set that encompasses 200 years of African restitution efforts structured into a series of ‘events’ - consolidated moments, occurrences, and/or activities related to the restitution of a belonging or human ancestor within each case study. It is designed to offer a comparative and synthesized analysis of the processes that underpin the restitution of African material cultural heritage. It also serves as evidence-based that can influence future decision-making around restitution structures, policies, and governance frameworks. The case studies are drawn from Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This dataset focuses on The Repatriation of the Nalindele Mask. The Nalindele Mask is an adornment that is worn during the Luvale people’s circumcision rites and rituals. It is a wooden belonging with long hair made of plant fibre or rubber and beads, and is decorated with intricate dot motifs on its cheeks and forehead. In 1989 the Mask was stolen from the Livingstone Museum Ethnography and Art Gallery. This case study documents the global tracking mechanisms and international frameworks that were activated to locate the mask, the improvised people-driven travel arrangements that were made for repatriation, and the subsequent reintegration of the Mask into national custody.
Author: Mbewe, Mary
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204270741