“Nearly 10,000 artworks were stolen from Burundi, and Belgium still refuses to return them,” Nibizi Jean-Marie, founder and executive director of the Organization for Integration, Neighborhood and Equality from Burundi, and an expert on the peaceful resolution of conflicts, said at the international conference titled “Belgian Colonialism: Acknowledgment and Responsibility” held in Baku, APA reports.
Comparing the cultural and social landscape of Burundi before and after colonization, he said the situation had changed for the worse:
“Before colonization, there were no French-origin names in Burundi. People, streets, and buildings did not have French names. After colonization began, the Belgians imposed their culture and traditions on the Burundian people. Thousands of artworks were stolen, and I still don’t understand why they won’t return them to us,” the expert noted.
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