Red List of West African Cultural Objects at Risk

Book Cover

After years of looting and carnage against cultural objects in Africa, which was made more pronounced by the 2012 conflict in Mali, a publication by International Council of Museums (ICOM), which focuses West Africa is perhaps a strong alert for museum managers.

  Titled Red List of West African Cultural Objects at Risk, and featured a Mali "Emergency" section, the publication, according to ICOM was made possible BY the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the U.S. Department of State.

 The book aims to highlight
the types of artefacts that are in demand on the art and antiquities market, protected by legislation, and vulnerable to being looted, stolen or illegally exported. Individuals or institutions wishing to acquire cultural goods from this part of Africa are strongly encouraged to pay close attention to the provenance and legal documentation of any such objects. In the event of any doubt as to the legality of a transaction, buyers should abstain from acquiring the object.

  In addition to its production of the Red Lists and its ongoing cooperation with customs and law enforcement agencies around the world, ICOM continues to operate systems of surveillance for emergency situations through its Disaster Relief Management Committee (DRMC) and to fight illegal trade of cultural goods, particularly through the establishment of the International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods in 2013.

This Red List is published in English and French. A German version is being prepared to adapt to the different regions concerned.