The Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy on Monday received two Benin bronzes — a bronze relief plaque and a commemorative head — from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to reclaim its cultural heritage.
The artefacts, looted during the 1897 invasion of the Benin Kingdom, were repatriated from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, thanked the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, for facilitating the return, saying, “This is a historic moment for Nigeria, the ministry, and the good people of the Benin Kingdom. We are still having conversations with several other institutions that hold these artefacts, and soon the process of returning them all to their rightful owners will begin.”
Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Olugbile Holloway, also thanked facilitators, including the staff of the NCMM and Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, who led the struggle to recover the pieces.
He added, “What we are witnessing today is the return of a huge part of Nigeria’s history. While this occasion is symbolic to Benin, it is also symbolic to Nigeria’s broader restitution struggle. We also have objects from Ife, so this event is historic, irrespective of the small gathering.”
The symbolic handover took place in the presence of three high chiefs representing the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Nneka Anibeze.
The Benin bronzes, a collection of over 2,000 brass and bronze plaques and sculptures, were seized by British forces in 1897 and dispersed to museums worldwide.
(Punch)
