Between the 1930s and the 1970s, German ethnologist Hans Himmelheber journeyed across Ivory Coast amassing a collection of ritual objects. Today, around a hundred pieces he bought from local artists – along with 15,000 photographs and a dozen films – have been handed back to their country of origin. Masterpieces from the Senufo, Dan, Baoule and Guro peoples, as well as everyday objects, are now on show in the cities of Abidjan and Man.
Ivorian schoolchildren crowd around masks, finely carved turtles, and ceremonial spoons once admired by…