Londonmuseums Sunday agreed to return a collection ofBenin bronzeslooted from what is now Nigeria in the late 19th century . They are under pressure to repatriate artefacts acquired during the colonial period.
The Horniman Museum and Gardens in southeast London has announced that it will hand over 72 of its collections to the Nigerian government. The decision follows a formal request by Nigeria's National Museums and Monuments Commission earlier this year to return the artifacts and consultations with community members, artists and schoolchildren in Nigeria and the UK, the museum said. Stated.
"The evidence that these items were acquired by force is very clear and, upon external consultation, it is our view that it is moral and appropriate to return ownership to Nigeria." was endorsed," said Eve Salomon, chair of the museum's board of directors. said in her statement. "Horniman is delighted to be taking this step and looks forward to working with the NCMM to ensure long-term care for these valuable artifacts."
The Hornimann collection is a small part of the 3,000 collection. to the 5,000 artifacts taken from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897 when British soldiers attacked and occupied Benin City as Britain expanded its political and commercial influence in West Africa. The British Museum alone holds more than 900 objects of her from Benin,and the National Museum of Scotlandhas another 74. Others were distributed to museums around the world.
Artifacts include plaques, animal and human figures, and royal regalia made in brass and bronze by artists working in the royal courts of Benin. The general term Benin bronze is sometimes applied to items made of carved ivory, coral, wood, other materials, and metal.
Countries including Nigeria, Egypt and Greece, and indigenous peoples from North America to Australia, have called for the return of artifacts and human remains amid a global reappraisal of colonialism and the exploitation of local populations.
Nigeria and Germany recently struck a deal to return hundreds of Benin bronzes. This was last year when French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled his 26, known as the Treasures of Abomey, a priceless piece of art from his 19th-century kingdom of Dahomey in what is now Benin, a small country just west of Nigeria. It followed the decision to sign the piece above the point.
But British institutions have been slow to respond.
The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Information and Culture formally requested the British Museum to return the Benin bronze last October.
The museum said on Sunday it is working with a number of partners in Nigeria on a "thorough and open investigation" into the history of Benin's antiquities and the looting of Benin City.
"The Museum is committed to actively engaging with Nigerian institutions regarding the Benin Bronze, including pursuing and supporting new initiatives developed in collaboration with Nigerian partners and colleagues," it said. The British Museum says on its website:
The Hornimann Museum also traces its roots back to the Age of Empires.
This museum opened in his 1890 to open to the public a collection of artefacts collected from around the world by the tea merchant Frederick his Hornimann.
Within the Black Lives Matter movement, the museum sought to "address the long-standing problem of racism and discrimination in its history and collections, and make a determination to set itself up." We have embarked on a “Reset Agenda”.
The museum's website attributed Frederick Hornimann's involvement in the Chinese tea trade to the British selling opium in China, and the lower prices benefited from the use of poorly compensated tea leaves. I admit that I have received sometimes forced labor.
Horniman is also aware that he holds items "obtained through colonial violence".
These include Hornimann's collection of Benin bronzes. This includes 12 brass plaques, brass rooster altars, ivory and brass ceremonial objects, brass bells, and royal keys. Bronze is now displayed with information acknowledging its forced removal from Benin City and its contested status. We recognize that we are at the beginning of our journey and there is still much work to be done," the museum said on its website. “This includes reviewing the future of collections obtained through coercive or unequal bargaining.”