Latest news with #NationalCommissionforMuseumsandMonuments
Euronews
20-02-2025
- General
- Euronews
Netherlands to return over 100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The Benin Bronzes are a collection of thousands of metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin. Created between the 14th and 16th century, British soldiers looted the Benin Bronzes from modern-day Nigeria in the 19th century. Of the looted statues taken during the Benin Expedition of 1897, two hundred were housed in the British Museum with the rest spread across other European institutions. The Netherlands has agreed to return its share of the Benin Bronzes. The 119 statues have been mostly housed in Leiden and will now be given to the Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The development comes as governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects looted during colonial times. Olugible Holloway, the commission's director, traveled to The Netherlands to sign the transfer agreement during a ceremony at the Museum Volkenkunde marking what he said was the largest single return of antiques looted from Benin. 'We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities,' Holloway said in a statement. Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of objects from museums around the world in 2022. Some 72 objects were returned from a London museum that year while 31 were returned from a museum in Rhode Island. The decision to return the items in the Dutch collection followed an assessment of a committee tasked with looking into requests by countries for restitution of artifacts in state museums. It marked the fifth time Dutch cultural institutions have returned objects based on the committee's recommendation. 'Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community,' Eppo Bruins, the Dutch culture and education minister, said in a statement. 'The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back.' The committee is currently considering requests from Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia for the return of objects. In 2023, two Dutch museums returned hundreds of cultural artifacts back to Indonesia and Sri Lanka taken, often by force, during the colonial era. Over at the British Museum, arguments still rage over requests to return cultural heritage to their original countries. The London museum houses over 900 Benin Bronzes. While the museum insists it has had positive discussions with Nigeria on the issue, the 2023 scandal over thefts from the museum caused consternation from Nigeria. 'It's shocking to hear that the countries and museums that have been telling us that the Benin Bronzes would not be secure in Nigeria have thefts happening there,' Abba Isa Tijani, Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments's director told the press at the time. Although UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed more openness to returning the Elgin Marbles than his predecessors, there has been no change in the museum's long-standing position of keeping them.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Netherlands agrees to return more than 100 artifacts to Nigeria looted during colonial times
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands agreed on Wednesday to return a collection of 119 artifacts to Nigeria, the latest objects to be sent back to their homelands as museums grapple with their colonial-era holdings. The artifacts, known as the Benin Bronzes and mostly housed in a museum in Leiden, were looted in the late 19th century by British soldiers from what is now Nigeria. They will be returned at the request of the Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The artifacts include human and animal figures, plaques, royal regalia and a bell. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The development comes as governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects looted during colonial times. Olugible Holloway, the commission's director, traveled to The Netherlands to sign the transfer agreement during a ceremony at the Museum Volkenkunde marking what he said was the largest single return of antiques looted from Benin. 'We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities,' Holloway said in a statement. Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of objects from museums around the world in 2022. Some 72 objects were returned from a London museum that year while 31 were returned from a museum in Rhode Island. The Benin Bronzes were stolen in 1897 when British forces sacked the Benin kingdom, which is now in modern-day Nigeria. The decision to return the items in the Dutch collection followed an assessment of a committee tasked with looking into requests by countries for restitution of artifacts in state museums. It marked the fifth time Dutch cultural institutions have returned objects based on the committee's recommendation. 'Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community,' Eppo Bruins, the Dutch culture and education minister, said in a statement. 'The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back.' The committee is currently considering requests from Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia for the return of objects. In 2023, two Dutch museums returned hundreds of cultural artifacts back to Indonesia and Sri Lanka taken, often by force, during the colonial era.
Washington Post
19-02-2025
- General
- Washington Post
The Netherlands agrees to return more than 100 artifacts to Nigeria looted during colonial times
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Netherlands agreed on Wednesday to return a collection of 119 artifacts to Nigeria , the latest objects to be sent back to their homelands as museums grapple with their colonial-era holdings. The artifacts, known as the Benin Bronzes and mostly housed in a museum in Leiden, were looted in the late 19th century by British soldiers from what is now Nigeria. They will be returned at the request of the Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
Associated Press
19-02-2025
- General
- Associated Press
The Netherlands agrees to return more than 100 artifacts to Nigeria looted during colonial times
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands agreed on Wednesday to return a collection of 119 artifacts to Nigeria, the latest objects to be sent back to their homelands as museums grapple with their colonial-era holdings. The artifacts, known as the Benin Bronzes and mostly housed in a museum in Leiden, were looted in the late 19th century by British soldiers from what is now Nigeria. They will be returned at the request of the Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The artifacts include human and animal figures, plaques, royal regalia and a bell. The development comes as governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects looted during colonial times. Olugible Holloway, the commission's director, traveled to The Netherlands to sign the transfer agreement during a ceremony at the Museum Volkenkunde marking what he said was the largest single return of antiques looted from Benin. 'We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities,' Holloway said in a statement. Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of objects from museums around the world in 2022. Some 72 objects were returned from a London museum that year while 31 were returned from a museum in Rhode Island. The Benin Bronzes were stolen in 1897 when British forces sacked the Benin kingdom, which is now in modern-day Nigeria. The decision to return the items in the Dutch collection followed an assessment of a committee tasked with looking into requests by countries for restitution of artifacts in state museums. It marked the fifth time Dutch cultural institutions have returned objects based on the committee's recommendation. 'Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community,' Eppo Bruins, the Dutch culture and education minister, said in a statement. 'The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back.' The committee is currently considering requests from Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia for the return of objects. In 2023, two Dutch museums returned hundreds of cultural artifacts back to Indonesia and Sri Lanka taken, often by force, during the colonial era.
MTV Lebanon
19-02-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Netherlands to return 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The Netherlands has agreed to return more than 100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, the latest European country to return cultural artefacts to Africa, the Dutch embassy in Abuja said on Wednesday. Nigeria is on a quest to get thousands of intricate bronze sculptures and castings that were looted by British soldiers during a raid on the then-separate Kingdom of Benin, located in what is now southwestern Nigeria, in 1897. The Dutch embassy said in a statement the Netherlands would return 119 artefacts following an agreement signed between its education minister and the head of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The artefacts are expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year. The collection includes 113 bronzes that are part of the Dutch State Collection while the remainder will be returned by the Municpality of Rotterdam. "The Netherlands is returning the Benin Bronzes unconditionally, recognising that the objects were looted during the British attack on Benin City in 1897, and should have never ended up in the Netherlands," the embassy statement said. The statement quoted National Commission for Museums and Monuments director general Olugbile Holloway saying this would represent the single largest return of the ancient antiquities.
