THE Netherlands has agreed to return 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, becoming the latest European nation to repatriate looted African artefacts. This move follows an agreement between the Dutch education minister and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, according to a statement from the Dutch embassy in Abuja, as reported by Reuters.
Largest repatriation of Benin Bronzes
The artefacts, expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year, include 113 bronzes from the Dutch State Collection and six from the Municipality of Rotterdam. The Dutch government acknowledged that the Benin Bronzes were stolen during the 1897 British military raid on the historic Benin Kingdom, now part of southwestern Nigeria. The Dutch embassy emphasised that these objects ‘should have never ended up in the Netherlands’ and are being returned unconditionally.
Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, stated that this repatriation represents the single largest return of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. The country has been actively seeking the return of thousands of bronze sculptures and castings looted from the Benin Kingdom during the colonial era.
Growing momentum for repatriation
The return of the Benin Bronzes aligns with a broader trend of European institutions acknowledging colonial-era plundering and taking steps to return cultural heritage to its rightful owners. Several museums and governments across Germany, the UK, and the US have also repatriated or pledged to return looted African artefacts in recent years.
This historic restitution underscores ongoing efforts to restore Nigeria’s cultural heritage, with more repatriations expected in the future.
