https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250220/netherlands-to-return-over-100-looted-benin-bronzes-to-nigeria-1070745447.html
Netherlands to Return Over 100 Looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
Netherlands to Return Over 100 Looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
Sputnik Africa
In 1897, a raid on Benin City (now Edo State, Nigeria) led to the theft of multiple sculptures and carvings. Many of these treasures were sold to collectors... 20.02.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-02-20T17:02+0100
2025-02-20T17:02+0100
2025-02-20T17:02+0100
sub-saharan africa
netherlands
nigeria
west africa
history
british colonialism
artifact
benin
justice
benin bronzes
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The Netherlands has announced its plan to return over 100 Benin Bronzes, artifacts that were looted by British forces in the late 19th century and eventually found their way into a Dutch museum.This repatriation of 119 artifacts represents what Olugbile Holloway, the director-general of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), called the "largest repatriation of Benin antiquities." He also expressed optimism that this initiative will inspire other countries to take similar actions to correct historical injustices.Moreover, the NCMM has formally petitioned museums around the world for the return of these artifacts, which, despite the name, are not solely made of bronze: the collection also includes figurines, tusks, sculptures depicting Benin rulers, and an ivory mask, all crafted between the 15th and 19th centuries.Nigeria plans to showcase the largest-ever collection of Benin Bronzes at the upcoming Edo Museum of West African Art, which is slated to open in Benin City in 2026. Renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye has designed the museum, which aspires to become a landmark institution dedicated to preserving and displaying this crucial cultural heritage.
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20241223/can-thief-tell-you-what-to-do-african-expert-on-restitution-of-looted-african-artifacts-1069855732.html
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netherlands, nigeria, west africa, history, british colonialism, artifact, benin, justice, benin bronzes, museums, colonialism
Netherlands to Return Over 100 Looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
Christina Glazkova
Writer / Editor
In 1897, a raid on Benin City (now Edo State, Nigeria) led to the theft of multiple sculptures and carvings. Many of these treasures were sold to collectors and exhibited in European museums. The Benin Bronzes are celebrated for their exquisite beauty, technical mastery, and profound spiritual and historical significance to the region's people.
The Netherlands has announced its plan to return over 100 Benin Bronzes, artifacts that were
looted by British forces in the late 19th century and eventually found their way into a Dutch museum.
This repatriation of 119 artifacts represents what Olugbile Holloway, the director-general of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM),
called the "largest repatriation of Benin antiquities." He also expressed optimism that this initiative will inspire other countries to take similar actions to
correct historical injustices.Moreover, the NCMM has formally petitioned museums around the world for the return of these artifacts, which, despite the name, are not solely made of bronze: the collection also includes figurines, tusks, sculptures depicting Benin rulers, and an ivory mask, all crafted between the 15th and 19th centuries.
Nigeria plans to showcase the largest-ever collection of Benin Bronzes at the upcoming Edo Museum of West African Art, which is slated to open in Benin City in 2026. Renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye has designed the museum, which aspires to become a landmark institution dedicated to preserving and displaying this crucial cultural heritage.
