The protection of cultural heritage is a crucial aspect of preserving the history and identity of nations and communities around the world. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of various declarations and international organizations such as UNESCO, these illegal activities in cultural heritage and the theft of cultural objects remain a serious problem. These illicit actions not only threaten the cultural identity of affected communities, but also hinders our understanding of human history and the ability of scholars to study and give credit to those who came before us.

One example of cultural theft is the way in which some former colonizing powers, such as France, have taken cultural artifacts from colonized countries like Benin, Senegal, and Algeria to display them in museums and other cultural institutions in the colonizing country. This can be seen as a form of cultural assault, as it represents an attempt to erase the cultural heritage of…