Read Time: 7 minutes
Debate is raging over the long-term security of the priceless antiquities, writes Richard Assheton
At the height of the scramble for Africa in 1897, about 1,200 British troops armed with rocket launchers and machineguns launched a punitive expedition into the kingdom of Benin, in modern-day Nigeria. Massacring an unknown number of people, they scorched the city, burnt down its royal palace and carried away about 10,000 artefacts, among them countless extraordinary brass plaques and sculptures.
These artefacts had been made over centuries for successive kings, or obas, of Benin, to adorn the palace, recording past achievements and providing instructions for ceremonies.
Having been shipped out, many artefacts were added to museum collections; others were handed out as spoils of war. The rest were auctioned, a large proportion to Germany. Collectively, despite many being made from brass, they became known as the Benin Bronzes.
Admiral Sir Harry Rawson’s troops captured, burnt and looted Benin in 1897
GETTY IMAGES
Colonial powers initially refused to believe an African civilisation had produced these stunning works. Today, more than 900 lie in the British Museum, and others in museums and private collections all over the world.
Macron leads the way
Nigeria has long demanded the return of the Bronzes. But a new wave of restitution cases in the past decade, fuelled by a landmark report commissioned by President Macron into French-held African art, have given rise to increased calls in the West for the repatriation of the Bronzes. In the era of Black Lives Matter, they have become a talisman for campaigns pushing Britain and European nations to re-evaluate their colonial pasts.
Victor Ehikhamenor, 53, a prominent Benin artist who last year installed a wall hanging in St Paul’s cathedral to mark the 125th anniversary of the massacre, has spoken of his pain at seeing them displayed in a random order in the basement of the British Museum, where its Africa collection is held. He likens it to tearing odd pages from Hamlet or Macbeth, pasting them on a wall and calling them Shakespeare.
A number of western museums and the German government have committed to return to Nigeria the artefacts they hold. Some have begun the process. In 2021, Jesus College at Cambridge University and the University of Aberdeen became the first to do so when they gave back a bronze cockerel and a bust, respectively. In July last year, Germany transferred legal ownership of its 1,130 items, and in a ceremony in December handed over the first 26 to Nigeria.
The Horniman Museum in London has given Nigeria six items and formally transferred ownership of its dozens of others. The archaeological museums at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge have pledged to return their Bronzes, as has the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The British Museum, however, has refused, saying it is bound by law not to give away its collections.
Some of the 900 Bronzes
ALAMY
Spanner in the works
In a decree made public last month, the outgoing president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, 80, threw a spanner in the works of the repatriations. He unequivocally recognised the current oba of Benin, Ewuare II, a descendant of the man toppled by the British, as the owner of all of the Bronzes. He has no formal government role but wields enormous soft power in the city of Benin, east of Lagos, and its federal state, Edo.
Western museums had been dealing not with the royal family but with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), a government agency, under the assumption that the Bronzes would go to the state. The NCMM has been blindsided by the decree.
Cambridge has quietly postponed a handover ceremony scheduled for this month. The head of the NCMM, Abba Tijani, told The Sunday Times the decree, published in a government gazette, had held up negotiations with other institutions, including the National Museum of Scotland, which want to know where the Bronzes will go before they hand them over. “All our partners that have heard about the gazette say they want to wait and see the current developments, once the final decision has been made, before they can go ahead with any negotiation,” Tijani said, adding that he and his staff were fighting hard to answer these questions.
Nigerian politics at play
The repatriation process has met the reality of Nigerian politics. Three parties — the NCMM, the oba and the state governor of Edo, Godwin Obaseki — each have their own plans to house the Bronzes. The NCMM is planning a new museum of national unity in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, which would presumably hold the Bronzes. The organisation already runs a national museum in Benin, which Tijani said houses all of the Bronzes handed back so far, apart from the Jesus cockerel and the Aberdeen bust, which the oba has. He wants to build his own museum for the returned Bronzes near his palace.
Obaseki, a power rival to the oba, is behind a planned Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin city, which is backed by the British Museum and European donors and has been designed by the British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye. The British Museum, which has said it would loan Bronzes to the Edo museum, has sent archaeologists to Benin to excavate the site of the destroyed palace. After the presidential decree, it looks increasingly like the British Museum and other donors have backed the wrong horse.
‘Tainted by slave trade’
Buhari’s decree has fuelled concerns in the West that the Bronzes will vanish into the hands of a private family and could meet any fate, from being damaged to being sold. Debate has raged in Germany, particularly, after scientists found last month that some of the Bronzes had been made with metal mined in the Rhineland.
Archaeologists believe the Bronzes were made using metal melted down from manillas, a currency used by the Portuguese to buy slaves from African states, including the kingdom of Benin. The oba kept slaves until the British invasion, with slavery and human sacrifice features of life in the kingdom.
Last year the King of Benin received repatriated artefacts that were looted more than 125 years ago by the British
KOLA SULAIMON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
In the US, an organisation called the Restitution Study Group (RSG), run by a descendant of slaves who has campaigned for reparations, has used this link to argue that the Bronzes are themselves tainted, and that the descendants of slaves sold by Benin must be factored into the debate on what happens to the artefacts.
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, the founder of the RSG, told The Sunday Times: “Museums are guilty of the neocolonialism they purport to distance themselves from by repatriating the Bronzes.” The group says museums should not, therefore, hand them back.
Till Vere-Hodge, a partner at Payne Hicks Beach, RSG’s lawyers in the UK, said: “Museums are required to carry out provenance research diligently and comprehensively, not just look at one instance in the provenance chain in isolation” — in this case the sacking of Benin in 1897.
He called the “extraordinary” decision of western institutions to give back Bronzes “the ultimate inversion of the moral outcome”.
Divide and conquer
Some have dismissed these as the convenient arguments of those who have always opposed repatriation. Dan Hicks, an archaeologist and curator at Oxford University’s Pitt Rivers Museum and the author of The Brutish Museums, said there is no scientific method to prove that any person is the descendant of a slave sold from Benin, and that it is also impossible to prove that the Bronzes were made from manillas, rather than other metal products. He has made the point that all the Bronzes have met the same fate in the UK that the British Museum claims they would face in Nigeria: the museum has sold them off in the past, while some were blown apart in the Blitz.
Many supporters of repatriation say it is for Nigeria, not western holders of Bronzes, to dictate what happens once they are returned. Ehikhamenor accused the West of taking an old-fashioned “divide and conquer” approach by trying to “confuse” Nigerians. He said: “Of course we have issues of ownership. Where were they taken from? That family still exists. If you say it’s government to government, all right, send them to Abuja and allow Nigeria to decide what they want to do with it.”
One western anthropologist who works with governments on these matters tended to agree: “With Nazi-looted art, you never ask the family [that it’s being returned to] what they’re going to do with the painting.”
Museums weigh the arguments
Nicholas Thomas, director of Cambridge’s archaeology museum, has said he has “no doubt” the repatriation of its Bronzes will still go ahead. It remains to be seen what other museums decide.
Chris Willis Pickup, a lawyer and partner at Mishcon de Reya who represents British charities on restitution cases, said: “Any complexity about who they should be speaking to or what’s going to happen to the objects once they are handed over makes that process more difficult to complete.”
• Museums’ watershed moment as return of bronzes agreed
One source suggested any rift between the NCMM and the oba has been overblown, and that the oba is likely to loan artefacts to Nigerian institutions even if he is the official owner. The oba’s younger brother, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, has been present at handover ceremonies led by the NCMM. Tijani said: “We are not saying the oba is not the owner.” But he questioned whether the oba and the royal family had the expertise to look after the Bronzes. It seems likely that some will go into the hands of the oba and others to the Nigerian government.
Britain opposes repatriation. One source with knowledge of the matter said Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary at the time, put pressure on museums not to follow Macron after his announcement. In October, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport pulled an amendment to charities law after it emerged it would have allowed the British Museum to return items for moral reasons.
Despite this, the restitution movement continues to gather pace. China and countries in the Middle East are driving a huge museum-building boom. India is said to be gearing up to make claims for contested colonial objects, including the Koh-i-Noor diamond in the Crown Jewels. The Pope, whose Vatican collection is believed to contain Benin Bronzes as well as countless other treasures, suggested to journalists last month that he would be willing to hand back stolen items. “The Seventh Commandment comes to mind,” he said. “If you steal something you have to give it back.”
Excellent blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my site loaded up as fast as yours lol
Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
Everything is very open and very clear explanation of issues. was truly information.
Thank you great posting about essential oil. Hello Administ .
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across.
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across.
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across.
Nice article inspiring thanks. Hello Administ .
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Thank you great posting about essential oil. Hello Administ .
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
After all, what a great site and informative posts, I will upload inbound link – bookmark this web site? Regards, Reader.
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across.
Thank you for great article. Hello Administ .
I very delighted to find this internet site on bing, just what I was searching for as well saved to fav
การติดต่อและการฝาก-ถอนของ UFABET เป็นสิริมงคลของสมาชิกกับแพลตฟอร์มออนไลน์ใหญ่นี้ เราจะไม่พบปัญหาในการทำธุรกรรมที่กดขึ้นเป็นความเสี่ยงอย่างดีที่สุด เนื่องจาก UFABET ทำการดูแลและรักษาความปลอดภัยของข้อมูลและการทำธุรกรรมของคุณได้อย่างเข้มงวด และทางทีมงานพร้อมให้บริการตลอดเวลา
You’re so awesome! I don’t believe I have read a single thing like that before. So great to find someone with some original thoughts on this topic. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is something that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality!
Perfect work you have done, this web site is really cool with superb info .
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across.
I?¦ve been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or weblog posts in this kind of house . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this information So i?¦m glad to exhibit that I have an incredibly good uncanny feeling I came upon just what I needed. I most indisputably will make sure to do not put out of your mind this website and give it a glance regularly.
Thank you great posting about essential oil. Hello Administ . 国产线播放免费人成视频播放
I gotta favorite this website it seems extremely helpful very beneficial
fantastic post.Never knew this, thanks for letting me know.
I discovered your blog site on google and check a couple of of your early posts. Continue to maintain up the very good operate. I simply further up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. In search of ahead to reading extra from you afterward!…
Absolutely pent articles, regards for information .
Thank you great post. Hello Administ .国产线播放免费人成视频播放
I really love to read such an excellent article. Helpful article. Hello Administ . 国产线播放免费人成视频播放
Thank you for content. Area rugs and online home decor store. Hello Administ . 国产线播放免费人成视频播放
Thank you for content. Area rugs and online home decor store. Hello Administ . 国产线播放免费人成视频播放
What Is Aizen Power? Aizen Power is presented as a distinctive dietary supplement with a singular focus on addressing the root cause of smaller phalluses
I like this post, enjoyed this one thanks for putting up.
you’re really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is amazing. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a great job on this topic!
Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was searching for!
I couldn’t resist commenting
Renew: An OverviewRenew is a dietary supplement that is formulated to help in the weight loss process.
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on. You’ve done a formidable job and our whole community will be grateful to you.
This is the correct weblog for anybody who wants to seek out out about this topic. You notice so much its virtually hard to argue with you (not that I really would want…HaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
You got a very superb website, Gladiolus I observed it through yahoo.
Hey there, You’ve done a fantastic job. I will definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this web site.
Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Everything is very open and very clear explanation of issues. was truly information. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing.
You made various fine points there. I did a search on the theme and found nearly all people will agree with your blog.
I’ve been browsing online more than 3 hours these days, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It¦s pretty worth sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you probably did, the net can be a lot more helpful than ever before.
Great beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site, how could i subscribe for a blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept
My coder is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on various websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to another platform. I have heard very good things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it? Any help would be really appreciated!
Hey there are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
I think this is one of the most significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things, The website style is perfect, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers
you have got an important weblog here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my weblog?
What Exactly is Tonic Greens? Tonic Greens is a dietary supplement that has proven effective in helping many people manage the herpes virus and boost their immune systems without adverse effects.
Sweet internet site, super pattern, very clean and utilize pleasant.
Hello very nice website!! Man .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds additionallyKI am satisfied to seek out so many helpful information right here within the publish, we want work out more strategies in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
of course like your website however you have to test the spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very troublesome to tell the reality nevertheless I will surely come again again.
I have been surfing on-line more than 3 hours as of late, yet I by no means discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours. It’s pretty value enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content material as you did, the net will probably be much more helpful than ever before.
FitSpresso: An Outline FitSpresso is a weight management formula made using five herbal ingredients.
I gotta favorite this website it seems invaluable very beneficial
Hey there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!
I like the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great articles.
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across. It extremely helps make reading your blog significantly easier.
I truly enjoy reading through on this internet site, it has got excellent posts. “The great secret of power is never to will to do more than you can accomplish.” by Henrik Ibsen.
great points altogether, you just gained a brand new reader. What would you suggest about your post that you made a few days ago? Any positive?
I liked as much as you will obtain performed right here. The comic strip is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nevertheless, you command get bought an shakiness over that you want be handing over the following. in poor health undoubtedly come more previously again since exactly the similar nearly very continuously inside of case you shield this hike.
Absolutely indited articles, thank you for entropy. “You can do very little with faith, but you can do nothing without it.” by Samuel Butler.
Hello.This article was extremely remarkable, particularly because I was browsing for thoughts on this subject last Saturday.
What Is Sugar Defender? Sugar Defender is a meticulously crafted natural health supplement aimed at helping individuals maintain balanced blood sugar levels. Developed by Jeffrey Mitchell, this liquid formula contains 24 scientifically backed ingredients meticulously chosen to target the root causes of blood sugar imbalances.
What is Lottery Defeater Software? Lottery Defeater Software is a plug-and-play Lottery Winning Software that is fully automated. Kenneth created the Lottery Defeater software. Every time someone plays the lottery, it increases their odds of winning by around 98.
I as well as my friends came checking the best tips and hints found on your web page and then I got a horrible feeling I never thanked the web blog owner for them. Most of the people were definitely absolutely glad to study all of them and have in effect truly been taking advantage of them. Appreciation for being well thoughtful and also for utilizing these kinds of fabulous topics millions of individuals are really desperate to be informed on. My personal sincere regret for not expressing appreciation to you sooner.
Hi my friend! I want to say that this article is amazing, great written and come with approximately all vital infos. I¦d like to see extra posts like this .
Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem along with your web site in web explorer, may test this?K IE still is the marketplace leader and a huge portion of folks will pass over your excellent writing due to this problem.
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
A person essentially help to make seriously posts I would state. This is the first time I frequented your web page and thus far? I amazed with the research you made to create this particular publish incredible. Great job!
Greetings from Ohio! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I love the information you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how fast your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, excellent blog!
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
An impressive share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you become expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more details? It is highly helpful for me. Big thumb up for this blog post!
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!
You made some decent factors there. I looked on the web for the issue and located most people will associate with along with your website.
I believe this site has got some rattling excellent info for everyone. “I prefer the wicked rather than the foolish. The wicked sometimes rest.” by Alexandre Dumas.
I was just seeking this information for some time. After six hours of continuous Googleing, finally I got it in your web site. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that don’t rank this type of informative websites in top of the list. Usually the top sites are full of garbage.
Nice post. I learn something more challenging on different blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their store. I’d prefer to use some with the content on my blog whether you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a link on your web blog. Thanks for sharing.
You are my inhalation, I own few blogs and occasionally run out from to brand.
I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read something like this before. So nice to seek out any person with some authentic thoughts on this subject. realy thank you for starting this up. this web site is something that is wanted on the net, somebody with a little originality. helpful job for bringing something new to the internet!
I have read a few good stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how a lot effort you put to create the sort of fantastic informative site.
I consider something genuinely special in this web site.
I have learn some just right stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you set to make this sort of wonderful informative web site.
Thanks for another informative site. The place else may just I am getting that kind of info written in such a perfect way? I’ve a venture that I am just now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such information.
After I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a remark is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there any method you may take away me from that service? Thanks!
Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, andI was wondering your situation; we have created some nice practices and we are lookingto exchange solutions with others, please shoot me an email if interested.
Hi there, this weekend is nice in supportof me, because this moment i am reading this wonderful informative paragraph here at my home.