Nigeria’s looted Benin bronzes returned more than 100 years later

 The two Benin bronzes, which were plundered by British forces, have been restored to a traditional palace in Benin City, where they will be displayed.

It has been more than a century since two Benin bronzes were pillaged by British forces, and the repatriation of two bronzes to a traditional palace in Nigeria has rekindled optimism that thousands more artifacts would be returned to their rightful owners.

[Tife Owolabi/Reuters]

A large number of the artifacts, most of which are currently in Europe, were taken from the Benin Kingdom, which is now located in southern Nigeria, and are considered to be among Africa's most important cultural heritage relics.

As early as the 16th century, according to the British Museum, they were used to decorate buildings.

The return of a cockerel sculpture and the head of an Oba (king) was marked with a colorful ceremony in Benin City on Saturday, during which palace spokesperson Charles Edosonmwan revealed some of the bronzes had been moved as far afield as New Zealand, the United States, and Japan were among the destinations.

The University of Aberdeen and Cambridge University's Jesus College presented the two artifacts to the Nigerian High Commission in October, although they have not yet been returned to their original locations.

During an interview on the sidelines of a ceremony attended by traditional leaders, Edosonmwan said that the objects were more than just works of art. "They are items that underscore the value of our spirituality," he added.

In a time when various European institutions are coping with the cultural legacy of colonialism, the return of the paintings is yet another milestone in the years-long struggle by African governments to reclaim plundered artwork.

According to French art historians, the cultural legacy of Africa is considered to be concentrated in Europe to a staggering 90 percent.

A total of 70,000 African artefacts are housed at the Musee du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris, with tens of thousands more at the British Museum in London.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES