Former culture minister Rachida Dati at a ceremony marking the official restitution to Côte d'Ivoire of the sacred drum "Djidji Ayôkwé," also known as the "talking drum," at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, on February 20, 2026. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
The nearly empty chamber of the Assemblée Nationale, where Culture Minister Catherine Pégard on Monday, April 13, secured passage of the bill addressing the restitution of cultural artifacts looted by France during colonization, did little justice to the significance of this long-awaited legislation for the countries requesting it. After the Sénat's unanimous vote at the end of January, the handful of amendments introduced on Monday will now be debated in a joint committee to align the positions of both chambers.
Despite calm debates, two ideological positions faced off over six hours in the chamber. Far-right Rassemblement National (RN) MP Florence Joubert rejected what she described as a "far-left narrative based on repentance." While radical-left La France Insoumise (LFI) MP Aurélien Taché emphasized the "need to look our colonial past in the eye."
While pointing out the bill's flaws and shortcomings, lawmakers unanimously supported legislation that addressed "a demand for justice, a demand for truth," in the words of Sophie Taillé-Polian, a left-wing MP.
