This week marks the historic return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands to Nigeria. The official handover will take place on 21 June, at the National Museum in Lagos. The restitution is the result of intensive cooperation between experts and representatives from Nigeria and the Netherlands. The artifacts will be returned to the Nigerian government, which will decide how and where they will be displayed.
Back in February this year, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Eppo Bruins, announced his decision to return the Benin Bronzes from the Dutch State Collection. The return is unconditional, recognising that the objects were looted during the British attack on Benin City in 1897, and should have never ended up in the Netherlands. On 19 February, Minister Bruins and the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway, signed the transfer agreements at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden, the Netherlands, where the objects were previously displayed.
This week, the Bronzes’ journey home will conclude with an official handover ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos, in the presence of the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Hannatu Musa Musawa, the Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation of the Netherlands, Dewi van de Weerd, the DG of the NCMM, the directors of the Wereldmuseum and other officials.
The Nigerian government will decide how and where the artifacts will be displayed. They will initially be stored in the new NCMM Oba Ovonramwen storage facility at the National Museum in Benin City.
DG Holloway of the NCMM: “On this historic occasion it gives us great joy to finally welcome the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands. This represents the largest physical return to Nigeria and the people of Benin since the looting of the Benin Royal Palace by the British in 1897.
The symbolism of this occasion cannot be overemphasised and what it means for the pride and dignity of not just the Benin people, but the whole of Nigeria.
The NCMM specifically thanks His Royal Majesty the Oba of Benin for the trust placed in us to administer and care for these priceless pieces. We assure the rest of the world that these objects will indeed be cared for with the utmost attention to detail and displayed in all their glory.”
The NCMM also announced a partnership with Coronation Group Limited to establish a world class gallery within the NCMM Oba Ovonramwen storage facility in Benin. DG Holloway: “I would like to personally thank Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede for sharing in this vision and all the invaluable support given to the NCMM in this regard.”
The Netherlands and Nigeria have worked closely together to realise this historic restitution. Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation, Dewi van de Weerd: “We congratulate Nigeria on their persistent advocacy for the return of the Benin Bronzes. We hope that this restitution is not the final chapter, but the foundation for further cooperation between Dutch and Nigerian museums.’
Prior to the ceremony, the Netherlands and Nigeria will jointly convene an expert workshop on digital heritage, which will bring together experts from both countries and the wider West African region. In commemoration of the handover, young contemporary artists from Benin City have developed an exhibition on “Reclaiming heritage: new narratives”, which is on display in the National Museum in Lagos.
The Dutch restitution follows the recommendation of the independent Colonial Collections Committee, based on extensive provenance research, and is in line with the Dutch policy on the restitution of objects from a colonial context. Of the 119 objects being returned, 113 were part of the Dutch State Collection, while the remaining six are given back by the Municipality of Rotterdam.
