bronzes of Benin, are returned by Germany.
After a century of claims, Germany handed over ownership of 1.130 historic bronzes, originating in the Kingdom of Benin to its precedence. This was an innovative moment in the return of looted art to Africa.
Germany agrees to return looted art to Benin
“It is a historic moment for us and for our two countries that we are signing an agreement for the return of the Benin Bronzes”.
Abba Isa Tijani, director of the National Commission of Museums and Monuments of Nigeria (NCMM), said before the official ceremony.
The Nigerian commission played a key role in drafting the restitution agreement signed in Berlin on 1 July 2022 by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Culture and Media Commissioner Claudia Roth, Nigeria's Minister of Culture Lai Mohammed and Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zubairo Dada.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the German government for becoming a pioneer, as the first country in history to create a formal agreement to return properties from the colonial past to their rightful owners.”
“They set the standards for what reconciliation should look like. It is my hope that other countries that still have African artifacts will follow in their footsteps”.
Said Zubairo Dada, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria.
The signed contract officially transfers ownership of the historic Benin Bronzes, held by German museum collections, to Nigeria with immediate effect.
"This is the largest repatriation of artifacts known anywhere in the world."
"The President, Government and People of Nigeria and especially the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, are grateful to the Government of Germany for making this possible."
Said Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's Minister of Culture.
The museums involved in the restitution
In all, there are more than 1.130 artefacts spread across five German museums. The Linden Museum in Stuttgart, the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne, the Museum of World Cultures in Hamburg and the Museum of State Ethnographic Collections in Saxony.
The valuable artefacts – sculptures and reliefs made of bronze and brass, as well as works of ivory, coral and wood – were removed from the former Kingdom of Benin by the British in a brutal punitive expedition in 1897.
The Royal Palace and the pre-colonial city of Benin, located in what is now southwestern Nigeria, were completely razed to the ground, leaving no stone unturned.
In the early XNUMXth century, many of the stolen artworks were auctioned in London and Germany, secured the second largest collection in the world.
The ancient Kingdom of Benin tried 100 years ago to recover the bronzes, but was unsuccessful. African intellectuals resumed the struggle in the 1970s, but their demands fell on “broken bags”.
It was French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Burkina Faso in 2018 that marked a turning point, as he announced that France would return all of its colonial art treasures and commissioned a report on how this undertaking could be carried out.
The report resonated with the German authorities. For Nanette Snoep, the fact that Nigeria and Germany are now reaching an agreement after lengthy negotiations means that “history is really being written”.
“If the return and transfer of ownership of the Benin Bronzes is successful, then it will really be the beginning of the decolonization of the so-called ethnographic bronze museums.”
Said Snoep, the head of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum.
"This transfer of ownership is incredibly important, almost more important than the physical return."
From now on, Nigeria will decide how to handle these objects and also how to talk about them:
“It's about returning history to a new storytelling,” he added.
looted art icons
All major Global North museums with Global South collections have at least a Benin Bronze, said Nanette Snoep.
“These are the Warhols, these are the Rembrandts, the Dürers of so-called ethnographic museums.”
"The fact that these icons of looted art are now being returned opens the way for a new ethic in the field of international cooperation."
“It's about finally giving space to talk about colonial traumas, about broken or shattered memories,” he said.
However, a specific date for the “physical return” of the Benin Bronzes has not yet been set. “It will not happen overnight,” said Abba Isa Tijani, director of the Nigerian National Museums and Monuments Commission. Transport, packaging, insurance, preservation and many other technical aspects need to be regulated first, he explained.
The bronzes will be displayed in various state institutions and museums, in galleries and in the reconstructed royal palace, which will be inhabited by descendants of the former king of the city of Benin.
The Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA), originally planned for the Benin Bronzes, is still under construction and it is unclear when it will be completed, explained Abba Isa Tijani.
In Nigeria and especially in the city of Benin, the expectation could not be higher:
“We are very happy with the return of the artifacts from Benin. It means a lot to us as it is our heritage.”
“Our cultural assets that were stolen years ago have been returned to their rightful owner, the Kingdom of Benin.”
Said Friday Osaro, resident of the former royal city.
Godwin Obaseki, governor of the state of Edo, where the ancient kingdom is now located, agrees:
“The idea of bringing these items home is not just important for our identity, they are part of all of us. We can have them here and the world can come to us and see what we create.”
the borrowed parts
Not all Benin Bronzes will return to Nigeria, some will remain in Germany on loan.
Joint exhibitions with museums from around the world are also planned. Tijani aims to focus on partnerships with museums as global institutions.
"We don't want it to be just a comeback."
"When these objects come back to Nigeria, we are talking about a period of more than 100 years when these objects were out of the country."
“For this reason, the Nigerian commission seeks to involve the great African diaspora in Europe, leaving some pieces behind”.
Said Tijani, stating that he believes it is important to continue to tell the stories of the journey of these objects and the communities and countries they passed through in the last century.
Conclusion
This return of art removed from Africa during colonial times is happening all over the world, following the example of what France has done, as with African Markets, has reported.
At this time, it was Germany that began to restore cultural assets from colonial times. But more recently, the Glasgow Museum in Scotland returned 19 artifacts to Nigeria. O Smithsonian in the United States returned 29 pieces, and the National Gallery of Art of Washington also agreed to repatriate objects from its collections.
We hope that this desire to return these cultural assets continues, so that the wounds opened by colonialism can finally begin to heal.
What do you think of these Benin Bronzes returns? Is it time to bury the colonial past once and for all? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.
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Picture: © Benjamin Bischof
