The Balot NFT provides a radical new model of digital restitution. The Congolese Plantation Workers Art League (CATPC) reclaims their heritage and land by using NFT technology as a tool for decolonization.

The Balot sculpture was carved in 1931, during a Pende uprising against atrocities carried out as part of the Unilever plantation system. Depicting the angry spirit of the Belgian colonial officer Maximilien Balot, it was made to control his spirit and protect the Pende people. Today, the sculpture is held in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond and loan requests by CATPC have thus far been futile.

With the Balot NFT, CATPC claims back what is theirs: not just art, but land. With each NFT sold, CATPC can buy back one hectare of their depleted land, replant the forest and reintroduce biodiversity.

Buyers get a digital rendering of the Balot sculpture hovering over a fragment of a drawing by CATPC. For more info, visit balot.org.