France has passed a landmark law that makes it easier to return cultural artifacts looted during the colonial era, marking a major shift in the country’s approach to its imperial history. The legislation, approved unanimously by Parliament, creates an exception to France’s long-standing rule that objects in public collections cannot be permanently removed from museum collections. It applies to items unlawfully taken through theft, coercion, or violence between 1815 and 1972. The move follows President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 pledge to prioritize the return of African heritage. Until now, each restitution required a separate law, slowing the process considerably. France has already returned…
Author: Montage Africa
Leading South African opposition figure Julius Malema has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign after the Constitutional Court ruled parliament had violated the constitution by blocking moves to impeach him in 2022. The judgement follows a legal challenge by Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and others, and could result in fresh impeachment proceedings. Ramaphosa’s office said he respects the judgement. In 2022, an independent panel said he may have a case to answer after burglars stole $580,000 (£430,000) in cash, hidden in a sofa, from his rural home. The theft led to allegations that he had not accounted for…
Months after it was announced that the surge of immigration agents in Minnesota was coming to an end, fear still pervades parts of the US state. The ongoing enforcement operation, which sparked nationwide protests after two US citizens were killed, has left some residents shaken – particularly among the largest Somali community outside Africa, found in the city of Minneapolis. Abdi, a 23-year-old man from Somalia whose name has been changed to protect his identity, is one of those who lives in the shadows – terrified of the immigration agents still patrolling the city. “It hasn’t ended,” Abdi told the…
It is often described as Africa’s biggest night in film and fashion. Celebrities, filmmakers and creators arrived at the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) in Nigeria with dramatic trains, sculptural gowns, shimmering fabrics and heavily theatrical designs that once again transformed the event from an awards show into a spectacle of style. Held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, the annual ceremony celebrates achievements in African film, television and digital storytelling, while also serving as one of the continent’s biggest cultural showcases where celebrities compete for being best-dressed, as much as they do…
By Rédaction Africanews with Agencies The body of one of two US soldiers who went missing last week during a training exercise in Morocco has been recovered, the US Army announced. The army identified him as 27-year-old 1st Lt Kendrick Lamont Key Jr, a platoon leader and air defence artillery officer from Richmond, Virginia. A Moroccan military search team found Key’s body in the water along the shoreline within about a mile of the cliffs where both soldiers went missing on 2 May. US and Moroccan forces are using ground, air and maritime assets to continue their search for the…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AP Passengers evacuated from the hantavirus‑stricken cruise ship MV Hondius began flying home on military and government aircraft after the vessel anchored in Tenerife, with one American testing positive and a French traveler developing symptoms during their separate repatriation flights on Sunday. Seventeen Americans were flown out, and U.S. officials confirmed that one tested positive for hantavirus despite showing no symptoms. The passenger will be taken to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, while others will undergo monitoring at the National Quarantine Unit. French authorities reported that one of their five evacuees developed symptoms mid‑flight, prompting strict isolation…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AFP The trial of Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred opened in Draguignan in southern France on Monday, where he is charged with raping a woman in 2018. Lamjarred arrived in court alongside his wife to stand trial. The singer is accused of the 2018 rape of a barmaid in Saint-Tropez, charges he denies. The trial is taking place behind closed doors at the request of the alleged victim. According to prosecutors, the 41-year-old artist — a star in Morocco and the Arab world — attacked the woman after meeting her at a nightclub. His accuser says she…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AFP French President Emmanuel Macron used a two‑day economic summit in Nairobi, Kenya, to defend Europe’s engagement in Africa, drawing a sharp contrast with China’s approach and urging African leaders to take greater responsibility for governance challenges. In an interview with Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, Macron said he had “strongly condemned colonialism” upon taking office in 2017, but argued that Africa’s current difficulties cannot be attributed solely to its colonial past. “We must not exonerate from all responsibility the seven decades that followed independence,” he said, calling for stronger governance across the continent. Macron…
This Mother’s Day, Mercy Ships (https://MercyShips.org) highlights the extraordinary courage of mothers around the world through the story of Doxie, who defied deeply rooted cultural traditions in Madagascar to save her son. In numerous African regions, cultural traditions dictate that new mothers remain bedbound for several weeks postpartum, receiving dedicated care as they recuperate. However, shortly after delivering her premature son Alfredo at seven months, Doxie elected to diverge from these deeply rooted practices. Despite experiencing significant fatigue and jeopardizing her own recovery, she courageously left her bed to seek immediate medical attention for her newborn. “I was determined that…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP There are mixed emotions among locals in Granadilla de Abona municipality in the southern part of Spain’s Tenerife island off the coast of Africa. The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius is due to dock there in a few days’ time, and the mood among locals ranges from “concerned” to “business as usual.” As it heads to the island, health officials in several countries are scrambling to trace and contain the outbreak of the potentially deadly human-to-human strain of the virus. Gas delivery driver,Cristo Alvarez, said that people are obviously concerned given what happened with Covid-19.…