Several important announcements have just been made in connection with the return of works of art looted during colonization in Nigeria. These works will eventually be exhibited in the Edo Museum for African Art, which will open in late 2024 in the Nigerian city of Benin City.
as reported from Lagos, Liza Fabbian
It is a black bronze bust, representing an oba – a king – from Benin who will soon make his “unconditional” return to African soil. This work of art is one of hundreds of pieces looted by the British during the capture of the ancient city of Edo in 1897.
An “infamous example of theft of cultural treasures in connection with […] European colonization ”according to the University of Aberdeen where the piece is stored. Discussions are now underway with the Nigerian authorities to organize the legal transfer and then the physical transfer of the precious sculpture.
440 bronzes from Benin returned by Germany
At the same time, Berlin is also negotiating the return of more than 500 historical objects, including 440 bronzes from Benin to Nigeria. Half of these works would be on display at the end of 2021 at the Humboldt Forum, a museum in the German capital – but its director is now proposing that reproductions be shown to the public or even leave symbolic empty spaces to engage in critical reflection. on the history of these objects.
It remains to be seen whether the British Museum in London and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford will follow these examples and in turn undertake to return their large bronze collections from Benin.
