Nigeria Has Transferred Ownership of the Benin Bronzes to Its Royal Leader, Creating a ‘Better Environment’ for Future Restitution
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Loading... - David Ekwobi
- 28 Apr 2023
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The ruler, Oba Ewuare II, will be responsible for managing where the sculptures are housed.
The restitution of Benin bronzes by European institutions may now have a clearer pathway as the Nigerian government has officially recognized the artifacts as belonging to the traditional king, Oba Ewuare II, rather than to the state or anyone else.
“This recognition will definitely make the repatriation of the bronzes to the Edo State easier, as it removes a well-known argument against repatriation to modern-day Nigeria,” Laurens Kasteleijn, founder of the Amsterdam-based consultancy Art Law Services, told Artnet News.
“Now that the Oba shall be responsible for the management of all places where the repatriated artifacts are domiciled or located, it creates a better environment for restitution,” Kasteleijn continued, adding that this can better protect the artifacts from becoming subject to corruption in the country.
It first emerged as a controversy last fall when the Benin chiefs argued that the artifacts belonged to the Oba and no one else. And it would be up to the Oba to decide the permanent home of the artifacts that were looted from the royal palace of the former Kingdom of Benin by British troops in 1897. Some senior chiefs told The Telegraph in November that the works should be returned to the palace, as they were taken away from the palace.
Initially, there were debates between the Nigerian government and the Benin chiefs but on March 23, the Nigerian federal government has gazetted its view, officially recognizing the the Oba of Benin as the rightful owner and custodian of all Benin artifacts that were stolen from the country, ending a tussle between the Oba and the Edo state government Godwin Obaseki.
“Repatriated artifacts may be kept within the Palace of the Oba or such other locations within Benin City, or other place that the Oba and the Federal Government of Nigeria may consider secure and safe,” the gazette read. Read More…
