Thousands of pieces of art were seized and brought to the United Kingdom as “spoils of war” during the “bloody and disastrous” military conquest of the Benin Kingdom by British soldiers in 1897, according to the museum.
By Omotayo Olutekunbi
The Nigerian government has reached an agreement with a London museum to return 72 items that were stolen from Benin City in 1897.
The move was revealed in a press release issued on Sunday by the Horniman Museum and Gardens in south London. The museum stated that during a British military campaign in February 1897, all of the items were captured from the Kingdom of Benin, which was located in what is now the capital of the Edo State in southern Nigeria.
12 brass plaques from a group of objects known as “Benin bronzes” are among the finds. The British Museum claims that these bronze statues date back to at least the 16th century and were made to adorn the royal court in Benin.
Thousands of pieces of art were seized and brought to the United Kingdom as “spoils of war” during the “bloody and disastrous” military conquest of the Benin Kingdom by British soldiers in 1897, according to the museum.
Other brass artifacts taken during the occupation, including an altarpiece, bells, fans, and baskets, are also part of the Horniman’s Benin collection.
“We very much welcome this decision by the Trustees of the Horniman Museum and Gardens,” said Abba Tijani, director general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, in the release.
“Following the endorsement by the Charity Commission, we look forward to a productive discussion on loan agreements and collaborations between the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and the Horniman,” Tijani said.
Nigeria and other African nations that have struggled to retrieve cultural treasures taken during military rule and housed in museums—mostly in Europe but also in the United States and Australia—can celebrate the judgment as a success.
According to Horniman, Nigeria’s national commission demanded the return of the items in January. The statement states that the Horniman may still borrow some of the items for exhibition and study.
The transfer was described as “moral and proper” by the head of the museum’s trustees, Eve Salomon.
“The evidence is very clear that these objects were acquired through force, and external consultation supported our view that it is both moral and appropriate to return their ownership to Nigeria,” Salomon said in the release.
“The Horniman is pleased to be able to take this step and we look forward to working with the NCMM to secure longer-term care for these precious artifacts.”
The Horniman continues a long line of museums that have given their stolen bronzes from Benin back to Nigeria.
Two bronzes from Benin were returned in February by the Universities of Aberdeen and Jesus College at Cambridge University. 26 objects of art taken from Benin in 1892 were recovered last year by the French government.
The National Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, also took all of its Benin bronzes off exhibit and announced intentions to repatriate them in November 2021.
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