French lawmakers passed a bill on Monday simplifying the repatriation of artworks looted during the colonial era to their countries of origin. The legislation is intended to ease the legal process for returning cultural objects held in French museums and collections to African nations. Historian Marie Cécile Zinsou, president of the Zinsou Foundation (a contemporary art museum focused on African art), described the restitution of such artifacts as "a moral obligation" and said the move is fundamental to restoring national identities across the African continent.