:The return of cultural objects lost as a result of colonial rule is a controversial issue. A common response is: “it was legal at the time” and, therefore, not a legal issue. But is that so? This article argues that it is not a lack of legal norms that explains this belated discussion but, rather, the asymmetrical application of norms. Moreover, a human rights law approach, focusing on the heritage aspect of cultural objects for people today—instead of a sole focus on property title—offers useful tools to structure this field. To illustrate these points, a case concerning an African ancestral sculpture today known as the “Bangwa Queen” will be assessed on its merits under international law. The Bangwa Queen is of spiritual importance to the Bangwa, a people indigenous to the western part of Cameroon. She was taken as part of a collection of so-calledlefemfigures by German colonizers in 1899 and is currently part of a French museum collection.

中文翻译：

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邦瓦女王：神器还是遗产？

: 归还因殖民统治而丢失的文物是一个有争议的问题。一个常见的回答是：“当时它是合法的”，因此不是法律问题。但真的是这样吗？本文认为，解释这种迟来的讨论的不是缺乏法律规范，而是规范的不对称应用。此外，人权法方法，关注当今人们的文物遗产方面——而不是仅仅关注财产所有权——为构建这一领域提供了有用的工具。为了说明这些观点，将根据国际法评估一个关于今天被称为“Bangwa Queen”的非洲祖先雕塑的案件。邦瓦女王对喀麦隆西部的土著邦瓦人具有重要的精神意义。左旋德国殖民者于 1899 年创作的数字，目前是法国博物馆收藏的一部分。