Given their role in organizing and describing works of art and exhibits, curators play a crucial role in how museum goers interact with what is on display. Since many objects acquired during colonial times were looted with little thought to what the objects meant to the people who possessed them, it is incumbent upon museums to do due diligence in tracing the origins and meaning of the objects. According to the podcast, all too often Western values lead with how museums are organized, which collections are displayed, and how they are labeled. It is not for the curator to decide the objects’ significance but rather the people who originally created and held the items.

The podcast argues that restitution (paying someone back) and repatriation (returning an item to its original location and people) are not sufficient on their own. It argues for reparations as well, which include both of the above as well as an admission of guilt and offer to make amends. I agree with this approach, imagining how it would feel on a personal level if someone took something deeply important to me. Merely returning the object or giving me the monetary value of the object would not feel sufficient; I would also want an apology with a recognition that a wrong had been done. This additional piece signals a more genuine step towards acknowledging the wrongs of the past while also promising to not do the same in the future. 

The podcast lays out a series of important steps national governments, communities, scholars, and museums should take when considering what to do with African cultural items in their possession. It argues for conducting research as to the provenance of an item to make sure what is brought into museums et al is clean (not looted). If items are verified as legally acquired, or if agreements are made with the country or people of origin for culture pieces to remain elsewhere, then it is incumbent upon the receiving party to understand and display the object’s cultural significance and place it holds within the culture’s history. A quote I really appreciated from the podcast that speaks to this is: “Is the curator giving me some sense of what this object is like for the person who made it?” This people-centered approach values the contextual history of sacred items.