Guinea has joined a number of countries seeking the return of cultural heritage held outside their borders after submitting a request to France to repatriate the personal Quran manuscript of Almamy Samori Toure, one of the most prominent leaders of resistance against French colonial expansion in West Africa. The manuscript is preserved at the Army Museum in Paris after being seized by French forces following Samori Toure’s capture in 1898 and his exile to Gabon, along with other belongings linked to him.

The Guinean request comes amid a global push to recover documents, manuscripts, and books removed from their countries of origin during the colonial period. Nigeria has demanded the return of the Benin Bronzes, which were taken by British forces during the 1897 military campaign against the Kingdom of Benin. France also returned a number of royal artifacts to Benin in 2021 that had been removed during the colonial era. Other countries, including Ethiopia and Indonesia, have submitted requests to recover historical objects and documents held in European institutions as part of a wider reassessment of the relationship between Western museums and archives and colonial-era collections.

Guinea’s request is not limited to Samori Toure’s Quran manuscript, but is part of a broader effort to recover written heritage preserved in France. Conakry has also requested the return of manuscripts and documents related to the country’s history, some written in Arabic or Arabic script, which authorities consider part of the scientific, religious, and literary traditions that flourished in West Africa before the colonial period.

The move followed a visit by Guinean Minister of Culture, Tourism and Handicrafts Moussa Moussa Cissé to the Army Museum in Paris last month, where a Guinean delegation viewed the manuscript preserved among the institution’s collections. The manuscript contains Quranic annotations and has remained in France for decades alongside other items belonging to Samori Toure, including his hat, hand fan, and military jacket.

The Guinean demand highlights a particular focus on manuscripts and historical documents, targeting not only symbolic items associated with historic figures but also seeking the recovery of books and texts that represent part of the region’s history of knowledge production. Guinea’s inventory process includes documents held across several French institutions, including religious manuscripts, works written in Arabic or Arabic script, and documents linked to Guinean scholars and historical figures.

Conakry aims to gather these manuscripts as part of a planned Museum of Books and Alphabets project, designed to showcase aspects of the country’s history of writing and knowledge. The initiative comes amid evolving discussions in France over the restitution of cultural property, following the adoption of new procedures allowing the review of repatriation requests.

The case of Samori Toure’s Quran manuscript dates back to 1968, when Guinea’s first president, Ahmed Sékou Touré, requested that France return the leader’s Quran, sword, and traditional clothing during celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the country’s independence. The current request extends beyond these symbolic items to include the recovery of a broader part of Guinea’s written heritage, including manuscripts and documents held in French collections.