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French couple who sold an African mask to a second-hand goods dealer for €150 (£130) have gone to court for a share of the proceeds after the mask fetched €4.2m (£3.7m) at auction.

Nov 2, 2023

Campaigners insist that the rare artefact should be returned to Gabon, in a case that has raised questions over Africa’s cultural heritage plundered by colonial France.

The unnamed retired couple, 88 and 81, who live in Eure-et-Loir, south-west of Paris, had decided to sell their holiday home in Gard, southern France, but needed to clear out all their belongings from the attic. They contacted a second-hand goods dealer who bought several items including the wooden sculpted mask, which had been gathering dust in the loft. The mask had belonged to the man’s grandfather, who had been a colonial governor in Africa.

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SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/