In a significant step toward cultural restitution, the Royal Museum for Central Africa (AfricaMuseum) in Tervuren has formally returned thousands of digital and physical ethnographic sound recordings to the National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These archives, recorded between 1910 and 1950, contain rare oral histories, traditional music, and linguistic data from dozens of ethnic groups across the Congo Basin.
Heritage experts state that the return of these 'intangible artifacts' is crucial for the reclamation of cultural identity in the DRC. The recordings provide a unique window into pre-independence social structures and artistic expressions that were heavily suppressed during the colonial period. This repatriation is part of a broader bilateral agreement aimed at restoring the DRC's control over its historical and academic narrative.