Germany returned two of its precious relics known as Benin Bronze to Nigeria on Friday. After reaching a political agreement, hundreds more could be returned to a country that was looted more than 100 years ago.
When the German and Nigerian Ministers of Culture meet in Berlin and sign an agreement to pave the way, two relics of a king’s head dating back to the 18th century, called Ova, and a complexly designed 16th-century plaque are returned. I did.For African countries to take ownership About 1,100 Benin Bronze currently in a German museum..
Once ownership is transferred, the Nigerian authorities need to decide which artifacts they would like to return and which artifacts they would like to keep in a German museum as a Nigerian cultural ambassador.
German official Andreas Gergen, who helped negotiate the agreement, said at a news conference that if Nigeria asks for the return of the goods in the future, it will be “shipped.”
Benin Bronze is a set of thousands of intricate crafts, mostly made of brass, despite its name, carved with elephant tusks and ivory leopard statues. They now come from the ancient Kingdom of Benin in southern Nigeria, and the most famous item is a series of brass ornaments that were once nailed to the pillars of the main palace of the kingdom.
In 1897, British troops plundered thousands of bronze during a violent raid on Benin City, and soon the items were scattered in museums around the world.
Over the last five years, there has been increasing momentum to return bronze and other items looted under colonialism, especially afterwards, to their country of origin. French President Emmanuel Macron said Returning items from African heritage to the continent was a “top priority”. European museums were at the forefront of those discussions, but several US organizations also acted. March, Smithsonian Castle He said most of the 39 bronze will be returned to Nigeria and shipped at the expense of the institution.
The German government said in April 2021 that it intends to return a “significant” number of bronze to Nigeria, but said it would like to transfer ownership of all looted items to Nigeria last fall. rice field. Friday’s announcement formalized those promises.
Given Germany’s complex political structure, the states and cities that oversee the museum now need to pass a bill confirming the transfer of ownership, but Gergen expects it to be completed “in the very near future.” I said that I am doing it. Some authorities, such as Baden-Württemberg, an area that includes the Linden Museum of Ethnology in Stuttgart, have already passed a resolution to return.
Many of the bronze could end up in a new museum planned for Benin City. Edo West Africa Museum.. In a telephone interview, Philip Ihenacho, Financier, who leads the funding efforts for the project, said the agreement on Friday was a “significant achievement.” He added that letting Nigeria decide on the future of bronze was “a radically different relationship than before.”
Mr Ihenacho said construction of the museum had not yet begun, but hoped that construction of a pavilion to store and display the returned items would begin in August and be completed by the end of 2023.
With the announcement on Friday, attention may shift to museums in the United Kingdom. Last year, Nigeria requested a relic from the British Museum in London, which houses about 900 Benin bronze in its collection. The National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria said the collection had 94 bronze and its governing body would support the return of items in March, as well as other museums, including the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. I made a request.
Some British museums Benin Dialogue GroupPlanned to send bronze back to Nigeria with a series of rotation loans, but the German move shows how it has been replaced.
