“Museums are not neutral spaces,” says Hanna Adan. She’s the host of the BBC podcast The Museum of Bad Vibes, which tells the stories of looted artifacts in British museums. In each episode a dark history of colonial conquest and violence is unearthed; among the subjects are an Akan goldweight from Ghana and an ancestral tablet from China. And it isn’t just that the artifacts were taken. Adan reminds us that many of these pieces have a cultural and spiritual significance that the museums do not respect: “The sterile environment of most museums makes it difficult to appreciate [the object’s] sanctity.” Adan’s podcast comes as pressure mounts on museums to return stolen items. On August 7, 2022, for instance, in response to a request made in January by Nigeria’s national commission, the Horniman Museum and Gardens announced that it would return 72 Benin Bronzes, looted in 1897. —Clara Molot