Event: Brazilian Repatriation in Practice: Legal Challenges and Alternative Solutions

The Waystation Initiative and UCLA | Getty Conservation Program present a talk by Anauene Dias Soares on Brazilian Repatriation in Practice.

The illicit trafficking of cultural objects is a persistent problem in Brazil and other countries of the Global South. Insufficient legislation and public policies, coupled with failures in implementating the existing ones, hinder recovery efforts. Those involved in repatriation efforts are also often limited with legal issues of non-retroactivity and rule applicability, making little use of alternative instruments in repatriation. The cases of the Ubirajara jubatus fossil (returned from the Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe, Germany) and the Tupinambá cloak (returned from Copenhagen, Denmark) exemplify this. Existing domestic and international laws have proved to be insufficient to prevent the misappropriation of cultural objects and to ensure their ethical management and return. A more effective solution requires global community engagement, fostering dialogue, collaboration, and the development of shared strategies to return cultural heritage to its origins.Therefore, this presentation will focus on to identify some alternative strategies, as well as ethical conditions for the repatriation of cultural objects to their place of origin, such as voluntary repatriation and its specificities. It will also present a brief comparative study of relevant legal considerations and their limitations for the return of cultural objects, both in Brazil and abroad.

This is a hybrid event. Please email waystation@ioa.ucla.edu to request a Zoom link.

Anauene Dias Soares was the coordinator of the Brazilian Red List of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and is an ad hoc consultant for UNESCO, where she works to combat the illicit trafficking in cultural objects. Soares is CEO/Founder of Anauene Art Law and Expertise. She is currently a Visiting Graduate Researcher at UCLA, where she is developing her PhD dissertation for the International Relations Department at the University of Brasilia (UnB).