Germany, controversy over fate of Benin bronzes returned to Nigeria

There is controversy in Germany over the fate of the Benin bronzes , which the country returned to Nigeria in 2022 on the basis of an agreement signed between the two countries and signed, on July 1, 2022, for Germany by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Culture Minister Claudia Roth, and for Nigeria by Foreign Minister Zabairu Dada and Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed. Nigeria, in fact, in May transferred ownership of the Benin bronzes to Ewuare II, the oba of Benin (the oba was the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Benin: today it is only a title, since there is no longer a kingdom of Benin): the transfer was decided by a decree of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari signed on March 23.

The decision has raised criticism and concern in Germany: it is thought that since the bronzes have become private property, they may be stored at locations not accessible to the public, or worse dispersed or sold. Yet, the agreement signed by Germany and Nigeria stipulated that the two countries would engage in cooperative operations, work to build museum facilities in Benin City, and most importantly, ensure that the display of the bronzes would be accessible to the public and researchers. However, if Nigeria no longer has the property rights to the bronzes, this last point is in danger of being thwarted.

In the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, ethnologist Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin, who has always opposed the return, accuses the German government of superficiality, because it would not have given due consideration to the problems concerning the ownership of the bronzes: her argument is that because the Kingdom of Benin gave up slaves in exchange for the metal used to make the objects, the descendants of the slaves should have been involved in the negotiations for the display of the bronzes. Minister Claudia Roth, a signatory to the agreement, however, dismissed the discussion by telling ZDF that “what happens to the bronzes now depends on the current owner, which is the sovereign state of Nigeria.”

But Nigeria, critics say, has already made up its mind: to transfer ownership of the bronzes. For now, calming tempers, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, oba’s brother and the royal family’s representative on the issue of the bronzes, stepped in and said that oba had always been clear about the fate of the bronzes: “Display them in museums in Nigeria and around the world, where they can appear as ambassadors of the kingdom of Benin and its culture.” But oba “had also been clear in stressing that he wanted his ownership of the objects to be respected.” We shall see, in short, how the matter will develop.

Germany, controversy over fate of Benin bronzes returned to Nigeria

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