DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – A bronze statue besieged more than a century ago than Nigeria is now to be repatriated, Cambridge University in Britain said, while Abuja announced on Thursday a new campaign to get all objects back selected from the West African country found in various parts of the world. The figure of a was stolen in 1897 from the Court of Benin and handed over to the university several years later. The statue was discontinued in 2016 due to student complaints that it represented colonial history.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed praised the return of the statue, especially the role students played in achieving their repatriation. However, the official said the decision to return the statue was a “drop in the ocean” because hundreds of bronze pieces were stolen after British imperial forces occupied the city of Benin in 1897.Nigeria will attempt to recover the cultural heritage of the country where it is in the world through all available legal and diplomatic instruments, Mohammed said. Those who looted our heritage, especially during the wars of the 19th century, or those who smuggled it out of the country in search of economic gain, have simply encouraged the impoverishment of our cultural heritage and the theft of our past”, Aimed. The government also sees the pieces as a crucial element in driving the cultural and tourism sector, he said. Governments and institutions in the West are increasingly demanding their return of the artifacts that were ridof centuries ago, especially from Africa. Some have begun to evaluate their collections and weigh the next steps they will take. Last year, a report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron recommended that French museums return works taken without permission if requested by African countries. Experts who submitted the report calculated that 90% of African pieces of art are located outside the continent, including statues, thrones and manuscripts.
