The Netherlands will return 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, marking a significant step in the global movement to restore looted artefacts.
According to a statement issued by the Dutch embassy in Nigeria, the transfer agreement will be signed on Wednesday by the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Eppo Bruins, and the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway.
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“The artefacts are expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year,” the statement read.
Of the 119 objects to be returned, 113 were part of the Dutch State Collection, while the Municipality of Rotterdam held six.
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According to the Dutch minister, returning the artefacts helps address lingering historical wrongs.
Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden, the Netherlands, the minister said, “The restitution contributes to redressing a historical injustice that is still being felt today.”
“We congratulate Nigeria for being at the forefront of efforts to reclaim colonial looted art. For over fifty years, Nigeria has advocated for the return of the Benin Bronzes. This restitution is a testament to the enduring strength of our partnership with Nigeria,” he stated.
“Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community. The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back,” Mr Bruins stated.
Similarly, Mr Holloway, Nigeria’s NCMM, described the return as a historic milestone.
“The return of 119 objects from the Netherlands will represent the most extensive return of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British punitive expedition.
“We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities,” he remarked.
Repatriation of looted artworks
The Netherlands’ return of these artefacts follows similar ones by other countries, such as Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
In 2022, Germany returned 1,030 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. The same year, three US museums – the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum – returned 31 Benin bronzes.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported that the Horniman Museum, a London Museum that houses a collection of 72 treasured items, handed over ownership of the artefacts to the Nigerian government
However, the British Museum, which holds the most extensive collection of Benin Bronzes, has refused to return them, citing legal restrictions.
The return of the Benin Bronzes is part of a broader international movement to repatriate African artefacts looted when Western powers colonised African countries. There has been pressure on Western institutions and governments to address their colonial-era acquisitions.
Ownership of returned loots
The arrival of the Benin artefacts, looted by the British during their invasion of the ancient Benin kingdom, created controversy on where the treasure should be housed. In 2021, it elicited a disagreement between former Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki and Oba Ewuare II of Benin.
The king had asked that the artifacts be kept in the Benin Royal Museum, built within the palace, while the state government demanded that the items be preserved in the proposed Edo Museum of West African Arts.
READ ALSO: A nation of thieves: The Benin bronzes and Britains imperial looting machine, By Hassan Arouni
The federal government added a new twist to the controversy when it proposed to take possession of the artwork.
However, In April 2023, the federal government officially recognised the Oba of Benin as the owner and custodian of the artefacts.
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