Abuja (dpa/lsw) – With an internationally recognized step, 20 of the precious Benin bronzes were returned to the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday. The pieces of art stolen during colonial times, including a valuable mask from Stuttgart, were long held in the inventory of five German museums.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during the ceremony that the return shows the “willingness to critically assess one’s own actions” with an open ear for the concerns of those who were victims of colonial atrocities. “We have learned from you: What we give back is part of your history, part of who you are,” said the Green politician to the people of Nigeria. “We have long ignored Nigeria’s request to return them.”
More than 1,100 of the works from the palace of the former Kingdom of Benin, which today belongs to Nigeria, have so far been found in around 20 German museums, 70 of them in the Linden Museum in Stuttgart. The objects, which are made of ivory and other materials in addition to bronze, come largely from British looting in 1897.
“Today’s return of the mask and all other precious Benin bronzes and objects is just a start,” said Baden-Württemberg Minister of Science Petra Olschowski. “It is also a door opener for closer cooperation with Nigeria,” added the minister, who is accompanying Baerbock and Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (all Greens). Such a return has a direct impact on local society and also triggers deep emotional experiences. “It’s about the cultural memory of the local people, who get their own history back with the objects, bronzes and sculptures,” said Olschowski.
