The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a workshop on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, as part of its Forum “Culture for Rethinking the World,” focusing on the importance of recovering African cultural property. During the event, researchers Benjamin Brou, French Ivorian academic and writer, and Eleni Lazidou from Greece, presented their new book “Sur l’art africain,” published in 2025 by L’Harmattan.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture Sector at ICESCO, emphasized the need to safeguard cultural rights in Africa and to promote research and creativity across disciplines to honor the continent’s aesthetic and civilizational memory. He reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to supporting initiatives that restore value to heritage and broaden access to it.

Brou and Lazidou outlined the key themes of their book. Brou revisited Africa’s history and the injustices it endured, highlighting the moral symbolism of recovering cultural property as a means of reclaiming a past whose richness and value had been obscured. Lazidou stressed the need for a shared path between Africa and the West to ensure cultural rights, including the restitution of looted or confiscated African artifacts and the affirmation of African heritage.

The workshop was moderated by Ms. Zineb Bougrine, expert at ICESCO’s Culture Sector, and attended by Dr. Mohamed Abba Ousmane, also a specialist in the same sector. Together with the authors, they discussed the book’s content and the questions it raises regarding cultural policies, memory, and heritage preservation in Africa.