The Netherlands will return 113 Benin Bronzes from the Dutch State Collection to Nigeria. A press statement from the Dutch government on February 19 said the decision was made by Eppo Bruins, Minister of Education, Culture and Science at the request of Nigeria. The announcement also acknowledged the items had been looted by British soldiers in 1897 from the Kingdom of Benin, sold, and eventually ended up in the Dutch State Collection.
“The return of these objects is the result of intensive cooperation between experts and representatives of both countries,” said the press statement.
Olugible Holloway, Director-General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments, called the repatriation from the Netherlands “the single largest of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British punitive expedition. We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities.”
“This restitution contributes to redressing a historical injustice that is still being felt today. Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community,” Bruins said in the press statement. “The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back.”
The 113 items—which include plaques, personal ornaments and figures—are currently housed in the Wereldmuseum Leiden, part of the country’s National Museum of World Cultures.
In addition to a transfer agreement signed between Bruins and Holloway on February 19, the independent Colonial Collections Committee released its report on items requested by Nigeria. The report included close consultation and collaboration with the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
The committee has also received requests submitted by Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. The independent organization is chaired by human rights activist Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You.
In addition to the items from the Dutch State Collection, the city of Rotterdam will also return six Benin Bronzes that were looted from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897. They include a bell, three relief plaques, a coconut casing and a staff.
“Art and heritage should be where they belong,” Said Kasmi, a member of the Rotterdam municipal executive, said in a press statement. “These objects belong in Nigeria. By returning them, we’re taking an important step towards recognising the past and respecting the value these objects hold for Nigeria.”
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