Mona Lisa in Bangoulap

What if one day a letter from Cameroon arrived at the French Ministry of Culture, demanding free admission to the Paris Museum of African and Oceanic Arts because the Cameroonians refuse to pay to view the artworks of their own ancestors? And what if, in light of the heated debates surrounding art theft and restitution, the cultural officials agreed? In Arno Bertina's mischievous fable, Europe is once again confronted with its colonial and conquest history, leading to a cascade of mutual demands, culminating in the question of whether the Mona Lisa should be returned to Italy or rather loaned to Africa. Building on Bertina's provocative questions, art historian Bénédicte Savoy addresses the currently relevant discussion surrounding collection histories and museum practices in the post-colonial global society in a subsequent essay. The debates surrounding the Humboldt Forum in Berlin raise questions that not only concern ownership and restitution but also the legitimacy of borders and access restrictions.