Nigeria, Switzerland meet on repatriation of artifacts, cultural cooperation

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has commenced talks with the Swiss Government on the repatriation of Nigerian artefacts currently housed in Swiss museums, including monoliths and bronze pieces.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that both parties also agreed to promote cultural cooperation when the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Patrick Egloff, paid a courtesy visit to the minister on Friday in Abuja.

They expressed willingness to continue discussions to explore opportunities for collaboration in the arts and culture sectors.

The ambassador expressed Switzerland’s willingness to enter into bilateral agreements and cultural diplomacy with Nigeria.

According to the Swiss ambassador, the process of returning the artifacts started three years ago, and they hoped to hand over the bronze pieces through the Nigerian embassy by the end of the year.

“This is the first time that a Swiss ambassador is meeting with a Nigerian minister of Art and Culture.

“There is a lot happening, and we would be very interested to build more institutional cooperation with the ministry.

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“We think this restitution would be a very good opportunity to strengthen institutional cooperation,” he said.

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In her remarks, Ms Musawa thanked the Swiss government for its efforts, and emphasised the importance of retrieving the artifacts for Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

The minister said the meeting marked an important step in strengthening cultural ties and exploring new areas of cooperation between the two countries.

She identified potential cooperation opportunities in critical areas, including animation, design, architecture, hospitality, and tourism.

“It is very important for us, Nigeria, to have back these artifacts and even have a wider conversation with Switzerland about what the restitution will look like.

“The conversation with the Minister of Culture in Switzerland is going to be very important because we will look at what our cooperation opportunities are in other areas,” she said.