On 9th January 2025, the Sierra Leone National Museum hosted a historic ceremony marking the return of a Nomoli artifact from the Netherlands, symbolizing a major step in the global movement for the restitution of African cultural heritage. Nomoli artifacts are ancient stone figures originating from Sierra Leone and are deeply tied to the spiritual beliefs, ancestral worship, and cultural identity of indigenous communities, particularly among the Mende and Limba peoples.
The ceremony was chaired by the Assistant Director of Culture, Creativity and Innovation at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Ishmael Kamara, who described the occasion as an act of restitution and national healing.

A sacred libation was poured by Chief Matthew Jiabao Young, Mende Tribal Head for the Western Area and Secretary General of the Council of Tribal Heads, before the Nomoli was formally handed over to the Sierra Leone National Museum.

Babah Tarawally, a Sierra Leonean journalist based in the Netherlands, expressed pride in returning what he called part of Sierra Leone’s “DNA” and thanked both the Dutch authorities and the Monuments and Relics Commission for their support. The Consul of the Netherlands, Madam Binta Jalloh, applauded her government’s decision to return the artifact, noting that it rightfully belongs to Sierra Leone and should be preserved for future generations.

Officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, the Sierra Leone National Museum, and the Monuments and Relics Commission described the return as timely, especially as 2026 has been declared the Year of Culture and Creativity by the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Nabeela Farida Tunis. The event was hailed as a landmark moment of national pride, reconciliation, and strengthened international cultural cooperation.

MTCA Communications