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May
12
2023
By MACDONALD DZIRUTWE
Return of Benin Bronzes delayed after Nigerian president’s decree

Return of Benin Bronzes delayed after Nigerian president’s decree

NEWS
A British university has postponed the return of more than 100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria after a presidential decree named a royal ruler as the owner and custodian of all returned artefacts, the head of museums and monuments said. Nigeria is on a quest to get thousands of intricate bronze sculptures and castings that were looted by British soldiers during a raid on the then-separate Kingdom of Benin, located in what is now southwestern Nigeria, in 1897. But an official gazette signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 28 said the Oba of Benin was the rightful owner of all…
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Jul
03
2022
By VICTOR EYIKE, BIRD STORY AGENCY
Nearly 800 years later, the fires of the Benin Bronze casters still blaze

Nearly 800 years later, the fires of the Benin Bronze casters still blaze

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
STANDING in Igun street, the centre of African bronze casting for the past ten centuries, Alex Agbonmwenre could tell a story about the British forces that razed Edo and destroyed the Benin Empire, carrying off the famous bronze figures made for the court hundreds of years before, in this very street. But as a bronze caster, he is focused on the story of the craft itself. And his story starts way before the arrival of the first Europeans in this part of the world. It begins with a skilled artisan arriving at a walled, well-organised city in around 1280, during…
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Jul
03
2022
By The African Mirror
Germany hands first of Benin Bronzes back to Nigeria

Germany hands first of Benin Bronzes back to Nigeria

NEWS
GERMAN authorities returned to Nigeria the first two of more than 1,100 priceless sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes that were looted by Europeans in the 19th century. British soldiers looted some 5,000 of the artifacts - intricate sculptures and plaques dating back to the 13th century onwards - when they invaded the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now southwestern Nigeria, in 1897. The spoils made it into museums around Europe and the United States. "This is a story of European colonialism. We should not forget that Germany played an active role in this chapter of history," said German…
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Aug
04
2021
By The African Mirror
Germany is returning Nigeria’s looted Benin Bronzes: why it’s not nearly enough

Germany is returning Nigeria’s looted Benin Bronzes: why it’s not nearly enough

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
AFTER years of pressure, Germany recently announced that an agreement had been reached to return hundreds of priceless artefacts and artworks that had been looted from Nigeria in colonial times and were on display in German museums. Commonly called the Benin Bronzes, these beautiful and technically remarkable artworks have come to symbolise the broader restitution debate. Why has it taken so long, will other countries follow Germany and what happens next? We asked a leading expert on colonial German history and a prominent voice in the debate around the artefacts, Dr Jürgen Zimmerer, to tell us. JÜRGEN ZIMMERER, Professor, University…
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