Nigeria receives over 100 looted artifacts from the Netherlands
LAGOS - The Netherlands on Saturday officially handed back to Nigeria 119 precious ancient sculptures, stolen from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era.
It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression.
Nigeria celebrated the return of the priceless "Benin Bronzes" -- metal and ivory sculptures dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries -- with a ceremony held at the National Museum in Lagos, showcasing four of them in the museum's courtyard.
The selection included a bronze carving of a king's head, a carved elephant tusk and a small leopard.
In the 19th century, British troops stole thousands of Benin Bronzes in the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria.
The sculptures were pillaged from the kingdom's royal palace and have since been held in museums and private collections across Europe and the United States.
The four artefacts currently on display in Lagos will remain in the museum's permanent collection, while the others will be returned to Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin -- the traditional ruler of the kingdom of Benin in southern Nigeria.
"These are embodiments of the spirit and identity of the people from which they were taken from," said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
"All we ask of the world is to treat us with fairness, dignity and respect," he said at the ceremony, where he announced that Germany had agreed to return more than 1,000 additional Benin Bronze pieces.
"The German government has actually signed a transfer agreement to hand over a 1,000 Benin Bronzes back" to Nigeria, he said.
Nigeria's art and culture minister Hannatu Musa Musawa, who signed the handover document with the Dutch ambassador for international cultural cooperation, Dewi van de Weerd, said "Nigeria needs to reclaim its history and its heritage".
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eNCA
5 hours ago
- eNCA
Nigeria receives over 100 looted artefacts from the Netherlands
LAGOS - The Netherlands on Saturday officially handed back to Nigeria 119 precious ancient sculptures, stolen from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era. It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression. Nigeria celebrated the return of the priceless "Benin Bronzes" -- metal and ivory sculptures dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries -- with a ceremony held at the National Museum in Lagos, showcasing four of them in the museum's courtyard. The selection included a bronze carving of a king's head, a carved elephant tusk and a small leopard. In the 19th century, British troops stole thousands of Benin Bronzes in the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria. The sculptures were pillaged from the kingdom's royal palace and have since been held in museums and private collections across Europe and the United States. The four artefacts currently on display in Lagos will remain in the museum's permanent collection, while the others will be returned to Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin -- the traditional ruler of the kingdom of Benin in southern Nigeria. "These are embodiments of the spirit and identity of the people from which they were taken from," said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. "All we ask of the world is to treat us with fairness, dignity and respect," he said at the ceremony, where he announced that Germany had agreed to return more than 1,000 additional Benin Bronze pieces. "The German government has actually signed a transfer agreement to hand over a 1,000 Benin Bronzes back" to Nigeria, he said. Nigeria's art and culture minister Hannatu Musa Musawa, who signed the handover document with the Dutch ambassador for international cultural cooperation, Dewi van de Weerd, said "Nigeria needs to reclaim its history and its heritage".
eNCA
6 hours ago
- eNCA
Nigeria receives over 100 looted artifacts from the Netherlands
LAGOS - The Netherlands on Saturday officially handed back to Nigeria 119 precious ancient sculptures, stolen from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era. It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression. Nigeria celebrated the return of the priceless "Benin Bronzes" -- metal and ivory sculptures dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries -- with a ceremony held at the National Museum in Lagos, showcasing four of them in the museum's courtyard. The selection included a bronze carving of a king's head, a carved elephant tusk and a small leopard. In the 19th century, British troops stole thousands of Benin Bronzes in the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria. The sculptures were pillaged from the kingdom's royal palace and have since been held in museums and private collections across Europe and the United States. The four artefacts currently on display in Lagos will remain in the museum's permanent collection, while the others will be returned to Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin -- the traditional ruler of the kingdom of Benin in southern Nigeria. "These are embodiments of the spirit and identity of the people from which they were taken from," said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. "All we ask of the world is to treat us with fairness, dignity and respect," he said at the ceremony, where he announced that Germany had agreed to return more than 1,000 additional Benin Bronze pieces. "The German government has actually signed a transfer agreement to hand over a 1,000 Benin Bronzes back" to Nigeria, he said. Nigeria's art and culture minister Hannatu Musa Musawa, who signed the handover document with the Dutch ambassador for international cultural cooperation, Dewi van de Weerd, said "Nigeria needs to reclaim its history and its heritage".
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2 days ago
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AirFryday: Gingered croissant and butter pudding
The traditional British bread and butter pudding is switched up by using croissants and candied ginger in this air fryer recipe. Foil containers turn out to be a very handy item for an air fryer. Expect a rush on them, and foil loaf tins and the like becoming ubiquitous while also potentially selling out once everyone who owns an air fryer gets wind of this. A regular foil loaf tin, 13 cm x 25 cm, was perfect for the quantities of this pudding. You can of course also make it in a conventional oven, in which it would cook for longer. Ingredients 100 g dried ginger slices (they come in 100 g packets) ⅓ cup hanepoot or other fortified wine 250 ml full cream milk 250 ml cream 1 tsp vanilla essence or extract 3 large eggs ½ cup golden brown sugar 4 mini croissants 4 Tbsp golden brown sugar Butter for spreading on the croissants and dotting Method Chop the candied ginger (available at dried fruit outlets such as Wellington or Montagu) and put it in a small saucepan with the hanepoot or other fortified wine. Bring it to a slow simmer and reduce until you have a sticky but slightly runny sauce. Heat the milk and cream together until just less than boiling point, then turn off the heat. Beat the eggs and sugar together. Add the dairy mixture to this a little at a time while stirring. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir on a low heat until the custard thickens. Stir in the vanilla essence or extract. Grease a foil loaf tin or metal one with butter. Cut the croissants in half, butter them generously and place them alongside one another in the greased tin. Spoon half of the candied ginger and their wine essence over, then put them back together and place them alongside one another in the foil tin. Pour the remainder of the ginger sauce over. Pour the custard over evenly. Dot the top with butter here and there. Sprinkle golden brown sugar over the top. Preheat the air fryer to 160℃ for 5 minutes. Put the tin in the basket and set it to cook at 160℃ for 15 minutes. Check, and if not quite cooked, put it in again for another 5 minutes. It's self-saucing so doesn't really need anything else, but you could serve it with vanilla ice cream if you like. DM
