The formal procedure of sending stolen bronzes from Benin back to Nigeria has started at a modest museum in south-east London.
On Monday, the Horniman Museum officially transferred ownership of the 72 priceless artifacts to the Nigerian government. The artifacts were kidnapped by force from Benin City in 1897.
The Horniman responded to a request from Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments by describing restoring the stolen items as a "moral and appropriate" action (NCMM).
Thousands of artefacts that were housed at prestigious institutions around the world, such as the British Museum, remain uncertain as to whether they will ever be returned.
Two Benin Bronze plaques from the royal palace were among the first six items to be repatriated, and they were given to Nigerians,officials at a ceremony marking the transfer of ownership of 72 looted items..
The items were taken from Benin City by British troops in February 1897.
Nick Merriman, chief executive of the Horniman Museum and Gardens, and prof. Abba Tijani, the NCMM’s director general, were asked by journalists ahead of the official handover if they were frustrated at the British Museum’s apparent reluctance to hand over the 900 objects it had held for more than a century.
British Museum holds tight to Benin Bronzes, despite taking gift
Merriman, who said the Horniman had been an “excellent example” of
leadership, stated, “Journalists who ask me about the Benin return
always want to ask me about the British Museum.”
“I would rather talk about what an excellent example the Horniman is rather than answer questions about the British Museum.”
The six objects selected in consultation with the NCMM as being representative of the collection of 72 items form the first wave of physical repatriation of Benin objects from the Horniman.
A new agreement between the NCMM and the Horniman will allow the remainder to stay in Britain on loan for now, with the second phase of physical repatriations to follow in due course.
Professor Tijani later explained that about 5,000 Benin bronzes were currently “scattered” around the world.
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