Latest news with #BeninBronzes
DW
23-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
DW News Africa with Tomi Oladipo 22 May, 2025 – DW – 05/22/2025
05/22/2025 May 22, 2025 Are democracy and civil liberties dying across East Africa? We look at the Tanzania treason trial, which activists say is the latest example of a wave of repression sweeping across the region and speak to a Kenyan lawyer and politician who was denied entry to the country to observe the case. Plus, the Dutch museum returning a collection of looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Germany, Nigeria to deepen cooperation in economy, migration
Germany, Nigeria to deepen cooperation in economy, migration (AP) German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described Nigeria as a key partner of Berlin in Africa. "We just want to deepen our cooperation," he said after talks with his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Tuggar, on Thursday. "For both the European Union and Germany, the African continent is the continent of the future," Wadephul added. There are "an incredible number of opportunities" to expand the economic cooperation with African countries, said the German minister, citing the example of rare earths, abundant in many parts of Africa. Wadephul said that he wanted to encourage the German private sector to become more involved in Nigeria and used car manufacturer Volkswagen as a positive example of this. Wadephul also highlighted the issue migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea and heading to Europe, specifically Germany. "We have with Nigeria an ideal partner to discuss how we can tackle this problem. We agreed to cooperate very closely," he added. 'Nigeria is blessed with critical minerals' Meanwhile, Tuggar emphasized that Nigeria is already Germany's second largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. The Nigerian minister held out the prospect of intensifying trade relations, particularly in critical raw materials. "Nigeria is blessed with a lot of critical minerals," he said. Tuggar also announced closer cooperation in energy sector, including on renewable energies, and labor migration. With over 220 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. "Projections show that by 2050 we'll have 400 million people," Tuggar said. "What we are looking to do is not to export people but to export talent," he explained. "That's why we are looking to work with countries like Germany on structured solutions to job creation and to tackling the issues of irregular migration." German-Nigerian relations According to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Berlin views Nigeria as a key player in promoting stability and democracy in the broader region, as well as a country with significant economic potential. In December, German President Steinmeier visited Nigeria with a business delegation. The German-Nigerian Binational Commission, founded in 2011, has working groups in business, energy, politics, culture, and migration. The commission last met in 2021. New impetus was injected into cultural relations by the return of the first Benin Bronzes to Nigeria by then Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in December 2022. To combat terrorist threats, the German government is training and equipping Nigerian security forces and contributing to transnational stabilization projects. Energy partnership Nigeria is Germany's second-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified energy cooperation as a key focus area for bilateral economic relations. The German-Nigerian Energy Partnership, established in 2008, expanded in 2021 in line with the German government's National Hydrogen Strategy with the opening of a hydrogen office in Abuja. Priorities of development cooperation with Nigeria include sustainable economic development, vocational training, employment, rural development, expanding renewables, and healthcare.
DW
22-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
DW News Africa with Tomi Oladipo 05 May, 2025 – DW – 05/22/2025
05/22/2025 May 22, 2025 Are democracy and civil liberties dying across East Africa? We look at the Tanzania treason trial, which activists say is the latest example of a wave of repression sweeping across the region and speak to a Kenyan lawyer and politician who was denied entry to the country to observe the case. Plus, the Dutch museum returning a collection of looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
DW
20-05-2025
- General
- DW
Dutch museum returns Benin Bronzes collection to Nigeria – DW – 05/20/2025
05/20/2025 May 20, 2025 The World Museum in the Dutch city of Leiden has started packing up its collection of Benin Bronzes to prepare them to be shipped back to Nigeria. The culturally significant sculptures are part of numerous artefacts looted by colonialists which still fill museums in Europe.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Dutch museum removes 'priceless' Benin Bronzes for return to Nigeria
Dutch museum removes 'priceless' Benin Bronzes for return to Nigeria (Photo: AFP) Clad in protective blue surgical gloves, a Dutch museum worker gingerly unhooks a precious decorative artefact before gently laying it down on a pillow and wrapping it in dozens of layers of special paper. The artefact is a "Benin Bronze", a priceless cultural object looted from modern-day Nigeria more than 120 years ago, now being removed from display and returned to its rightful home. The Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Leiden is restoring 113 of the ancient sculptures, the latest single return, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression. "These don't belong here. They were violently taken, so they need to go back," museum director Marieke van Bommel told AFP in an interview. "This is a typical example of looted art," added the 50-year-old. The story of the Benin Bronzes is one of violence and tragedy. It began when nine British officers were killed on a trade mission to the then independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria. The British reaction was fierce. London deployed a military expedition to avenge its officers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sicurezza impareggiabile a partire dal 50% di sconto Bitdefender Undo The troops killed several thousand locals and torched Benin's capital city. They looted the royal palace, stealing hundreds of artworks, including the Benin Bronzes. Most of the ornate bronzes were then sold to finance the expedition, auctioned off or sold to museums across Europe and the United States. This was in 1897 and 128 years later, Nigeria is still negotiating the bronzes' return around the world, with mixed results. The Netherlands has agreed to return 119 bronzes in total, six more are coming from Rotterdam and Germany has also begun handing back its loot. However, the British Museum in London has refused to return any of its famed collection. A law passed in 1963 technically prevents the museum from giving back the treasures. Follow this example Museum director Van Bommel hopes the Dutch example will be picked up around the world. "I think we all agree that this collection doesn't belong in European museums. We do hope that other countries will follow this example," she said. The collection is priceless, said Van Bommel. "It's a cultural value, so we never put a price on it." The museum in Leiden has also restored hundreds of pieces of colonial loot to Indonesia, a former Dutch colony, Mexico and a community in the United States. Van Bommel said they had struck a deal to keep four of the bronzes on loan, so visitors can continue to learn their story. "We want to talk about the expedition, but also about the whole subject of restitution," she said. In the meantime, the museum will replace their collection with a display of contemporary art. As for the bronzes, they will be shipped to Lagos in mid-June. Former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari declared in 2023 that the returned works would be given to the Oba, the traditional ruler and not to the Nigerian state. There are plans to build a museum in Benin City in southern Edo state, where the bronzes will have pride of place.
