London Museum donates 72 collection pieces to Nigeria | Abroad

At the NCMM’s request, the museum has thoroughly examined its material from Benin to determine what falls within the scope of the request. Horniman also consulted with community members, visitors, school children, educators, traditional experts and artists from Nigeria and the United Kingdom. “The evidence is very clear that these items were forcibly acquired and external advice supports our view that it is moral and appropriate to return their assets to Nigeria,” Eve Solomon added in her statement.

After a violent military invasion of Benin City in 1897, items in the collection, including twelve of the famous Benin Bronzes, fell into British hands. After the invasion, the British Empire made Benin Kingdom part of the colony Nigeria. Apart from the Benin bronzes, the collection also includes copper rooster altars, ivory and copper ritual objects, copper beads, a key to the ‘king’s palace’ and other objects of everyday use such as fans and baskets.

European cultural institutions have been under pressure for some time to repatriate illegal indigenous goods. Since the independence wave of the 1960s, many African countries have demanded the return of looted art. According to experts, there are more than half a million African heritage items in Europe. Belgium also has looted art. There are already 800 stolen goods from the Congo in Dervuran alone. Legislation has now been drafted to make Congo the owner of antiquities stolen during the colonial period. A few months ago, King Philippe presented a rare Kacungu mask during his state visit to the Congo.

Benin bronzes have become a symbol of artistic renaissance in recent decades. It is about 900 thirteenth- and sixteenth-century bronze statues depicting the palace of the former Kingdom of Benin (Nigeria Today, ed.) is decorated. The images spread across the European continent.

In addition to the 60 objects, the Hornimann Museum will return twelve figurines from its collection, representing 1.3 percent of the stolen Benin bronzes. With 200 pieces, the British Museum has the largest collection of Benin bronzes, but has so far refused to give up the artefacts. The British Museum has another 900 items from Benin. Although the museum is transparent on its site about the provenance of its objects and does not intend to return looted art, the British Museum is open to “collaboration with the Nigerian government”.

Given the conservative stance on art restoration in the United Kingdom, it is noteworthy that the British Museum is responding to the NCMM’s request. Horniman will discuss the process of formally transferring ownership with the NCMM and the possibility of keeping certain artifacts on loan for exhibition, research and education.

In recent years, the Nigerian government has stepped up demands that European countries return the Benin bronzes. The country plans to build the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City in the southern state of Edo to house the recovered treasures.

Cambridge and Oxford universities decided to send back 213 items earlier this month. In other countries, already looted Nigerian works of art, including the Benin bronzes, were returned to their country of origin.

Last month, Nigeria and Germany signed an agreement to return hundreds of Benin bronzes – the largest attempt by a European country to return looted works of art.

France handed over 26 pieces of the so-called Abomey Treasures, looted by French troops from the 19th-century Kingdom of Dahomey in present-day Benin.

The government sold millions of items stolen from a Nigerian museum for €240 (+).

Belgium is willing to investigate the return of all colonial goods to the Congo