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A dispute between Nigerian leaders could jeopardise plans for the return of some of Africa s most famous artefacts, the Benin Bronzes, which were looted during the colonial era and are now mainly in Western museums, as writer Barnaby Phillips reports.
The Bronzes, thousands of metal sculptures and ivory carvings, were seized from the West African kingdom of Benin - in what is today Edo State in southern Nigeria - by a British military force in 1897.
In Europe their beauty and sophistication caused an instant sensation, and they are widely regarded as amongst Africa s greatest artworks.
Lest an impostor should loot Benin s stolen artefacts again tribuneonlineng.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tribuneonlineng.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed
The Federal Government will take possession of 1,130 looted Benin Bronzes when returned by Germany, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said.
The minister stated this on Saturday at a press conference in Lagos State.
Mohammed; Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki; and some government officials had visited Germany recently to further talks on the repatriation of the artefacts allegedly looted during the invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897 by the British led by Captain Philip.
The Benin Palace and the Edo State Government have been at loggerheads over where the artefacts will be housed. While the palace wants the artefacts kept in the Benin Royal Museum, which will be built within the palace, the state government wants the items preserved in the proposed Edo Museum of West African Arts.
Looted Benin Bronzes
Amid His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Ogidigan’s call for the Federal Government to temporarily take custody of the 1,130 stolen Benin artefacts in Germany after they are repatriated from Europe, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has expressed government’s determination to take possession of the artefacts. He disclosed this at a media briefing in Lagos yesterday.
The Benin Palace and the Edo State government have been at loggerheads over where the artefacts will be housed. While the palace wants the artefacts kept in the Benin Royal Museum, which will be built within the palace, the state government wants the items preserved in the proposed Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA).