Netherlands returns more than 100 Benin bronzes to Nigeria

The Netherlands will return to Nigeria a total of 113 Benin bronzes in Dutch state collections. This decision was made by Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins: these are the objects from the ancient Kingdom of Benin (now part of present-day Nigeria) that were taken in 1897 by British soldiers, who then sold the artifacts on the market. Research on the collections has identified that these 113 bronzes are from that looting. They are works of great importance to Nigeria: the bronzes, consisting of plaques, personal ornaments, and figures, are currently housed in the collection of the Wereldmuseum in Leiden, and the return of these objects is the result of intensive cooperation between experts and representatives of both countries.

The transfer agreement was signed in Leiden on February 19 by Minister Bruins and Olugible Holloway, director general of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The return follows the publication of a report by the Committee on Colonial Collections of the Netherlands, chaired by Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You. This report is the result of close consultation and collaboration with the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The committee has published the report on its website.

This is the fifth time the Netherlands has returned objects as a direct result of an advisory report from the committee. The committee is currently preparing advisory reports in response to requests submitted by Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. Meanwhile, the more than 100 Benin bronzes will be returned to the Nigerian government, which will then decide how and where they will be displayed. The Wereldmuseum hopes that the return of the objects will not mark the end of the process, but rather serve as a starting point for further cooperation between museums in Nigeria and the Netherlands.

“This restitution,” said Minister Bruins, “helps to repair a historical injustice that is still being felt today. Cultural heritage is essential to telling and living the story of a country and a community. The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are coming back.”

“The return from the Netherlands,” said Olugible Holloway, “will represent the largest return of Benin antiquities directly related to the 1897 Ritannic expedition. We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope that this will set a good example for other nations around the world in terms of repatriating lost or looted antiquities.”

In addition to the return of 113 objects from Dutch collections, the municipality of Rotterdam, for its part, also returned six other bronzes from Benin on February 19. These objects (a bell, three relief plaques, a coconut wrapper, and a stick) had also been stolen in 1897.

“Art and heritage should be where they belong,” said Said Kasmi, of the Rotterdam city council. “These objects belong to Nigeria. By returning them, we are taking an important step toward recognizing the past and respecting the value these objects have for Nigeria.”

Netherlands returns more than 100 Benin bronzes to Nigeria

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