14 Benin Bronzes to Be Returned to Nigeria: Another Victory for African Heritage
14 Benin Bronzes to Be Returned to Nigeria: Another Victory for African Heritage
The University of Zurich has agreed to return these artifacts from its Ethnographic Museum to Nigeria, following a formal restitution claim filed by the country's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in March 2024. They are to be transferred to the Nigerian National Museum in Lagos this summer.
A Homecoming Long Overdue
Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the NCMM, described the restitution as a step toward "heal[ing] certain aspects of our colonial past," noting that the people of Benin and all Nigerians deeply value the symbolism of this return.
Historical context
Looted by British troops from Benin's royal palace in 1897, these works were scattered globally through the art market. Research has also revealed that some of the bronze was acquired through the transatlantic slave trade—a stark reminder of how African lives and art were exploited together under colonialism.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
