Yinka Olatunbosun
Germany is set to become the first European nation committed to return the looted art treasures to Nigeria. The artefacts were stolen under the colonial government. It was widely reported thousands of artworks were looted from the Kingdom of Benin during the British expedition in 1897.
After years of auctions, some of the bronzes ended up in museums and private collections across Europe. Berlin’s Ethnologisches Museum holds more than 500 artefacts from Benin Kingdom.
The German Culture Minister, Monika Grutters revealed that the works would be returned in 2022.
“We face up to our historic and moral responsibility to shine a light and work on Germany’s historic past,’’ she declared at a recent summit between museum experts and political leaders.
Opinion | If U S museums say Black Lives Matter, then they should return Africa s stolen art washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
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toggle caption Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
Benin Bronze artifacts on display in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany. An international consortium is working on repatriating artifacts which were looted in the late 19th century. Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
German officials say they have reached an agreement with Nigeria to return a share of plundered artifacts known as Benin Bronzes.
Thousands of plaques and sculptures were looted from the ancient Kingdom of Benin now southern Nigeria, not the modern nation of Benin by British soldiers in an 1897 raid, and were ultimately acquired by museums largely in Europe and the United States.
Benin Bronzes: Germany to return looted artefacts to Nigeria yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.