Illinois returns stolen African artifact to KenyaIllinois returns stolen African artifact to Kenya
SPRINGFIELD - Kenyan Minister of State for National Heritage, Suleiman Shakombo was full of praise for Gov. Rod. Blagojevich recently as he took possession of the Kigango, an artifact stolen from the Mwakiru family in Kenya.
"Thank you and thank you for returning Kigango back to us," Shakombo said and praised the honesty of Gov. Blagojevich for owning up when it matters.
"The Kenyan government applauds the principle of continued dialogue with other heritage institutions in the United States holding similar artifacts in their collections so as to resolve all outstanding issues on specific objects," said Shakombo.
Gov. Blagojevich had ordered the immediate return of the artifact to its rightful owner last month during the African Festival of the Arts in Washington Park.
"This memorial post is part of Kenya"s cultural traditions, and it belongs to the Mwakiru family.
It should be reunited with its rightful owners," said Gov. Blagojevich.
"The Illinois State Museum acted promptly and worked with the Kenyan government to make sure this important piece of a family"s history and tradition be returned to the place where it belongs."
The kigango, a carved, decorated wooden post, was made in Kenya in the 1960s to memorialize relatives of Mr. Kalume Mwakiru. In February 2006, the National Museums of Kenya sent a letter requesting that the Illinois State Museum return the post to them for onward transmission to the family.
Based on evidence presented by the National Museums, the post was stolen from Kenya in 1985. It was then purchased by an art dealer, sold to an individual, and later donated to Illinois State University. The Illinois State Museum acquired the memorial post with an African collection transferred by Illinois State.
Earlier this month, Gov. Blagojevich sent a letter to the Suleiman Shakombo, expressing his support for the Illinois State Museum returning the Kigango to Kenya. In that letter, the Governor wrote: "We appreciate the efforts of the National Museums of Kenya and the Ministry of State for National Heritage to arrange for the transport of the memorial post from the Illinois State Museum to Kenya"I commend the Illinois State Museum for reviewing the facts and taking the appropriate action to return this memorial post to the National Museums of Kenya to return to the family."
In November of 2001, Illinois State University agreed to transfer its African collection to the Illinois State Museum. The memorial post being returned to Kenya is one of approximately 1,600 objects transferred from that collection to the Illinois State Museum.
In early 2006, family members of Mr. Kalume Mwakiru sent a letter to the Fort Jesus Museum in Mombasa, Kenya, requesting that the Kigango be returned to the family. The letter was forwarded to the Illinois State Museum by the Fort Jesus Museum along with a copy of an article in American Anthropologist corroborating that the Kigango had been stolen.
The Illinois State Museum reviewed documentation pertaining to the Kigango and concluded that it should be returned to appropriate officials in Kenya for a return to the family.
"We were compelled by the evidence that the Kigango was stolen and are pleased that an official delegation from Kenya has traveled to Illinois to return it to the Mwakiru family," said Dr. Bonnie Styles, Director of the Illinois State Museum.
"The consent of the Illinois State Museum to repatriate this spiritual Kenyan artifact is a clear demonstration of the commitment of American cultural institutions to the respect of African culture and diversity of cultural expressions," Dr. Styles said.
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