Benin Bronzes: Netherlands to return stolen Benin statues to Nigeria

The Dutch Minister of Culture says he hopes this move will address the "historical injustice".

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersNetherlands to return stolen Benin Bronzes to Nigeria1 hour agoDanai Nesta KupembaBBCWereldmuseumThese are pendants worn by high ranking officials in Benin The Netherlands says it will return more than 100 Benin Bronzes that British troops looted from Nigeria in the late 19th Century and which ended up in a Dutch museum.

Thousands of these culturally significant sculptures and carvings were stolen during the violent destruction of Benin City, in modern-day Nigeria's Edo state, in 1897.

The treasures were sold, some to private collectors and others to museums like the Wereldmuseum in The Netherlands, which has displayed these artefacts for decades.

The return of the 119 artefacts is the "largest repatriation of Benin antiquities", said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

Despite the name, not all the statues are made of bronze. They include figurines, tusks, sculptures of Benin's rulers, and an ivory mask. They were made during between the 15th and 19th Centuries.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly8397e7gno

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