The Netherlands officially returned 119 artifacts to Nigeria, which had been looted from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era.
This step is part of an escalating wave of artistic cuts to Africa, in light of the increasing pressure on Western governments to return what was acquired during colonial periods.
During the delivery ceremony held at the National Museum of Lagos, the Director General of the National Committee for Museums and Antiquities in Nigeria, Olgili Holwai, described these pieces as “an embodiment of the spirit and identity of the peoples that were robbed of them.” He added that Germany also agreed to return more than a thousand additional artifacts.
The usual group includes what is known as “Bronze Boys”, which are metal and ivory sculptures dating back to the 16th and 18th centuries.
These pieces were looted in 1897 during a British military campaign against the Kingdom of Benin, currently in southern Nigeria, when King Ovonramoin Nodbisi was forced to exile for 6 months.
It is reported that in 2022, I requested Nigeria Officially returning hundreds of artifacts from museums all over the world.
In the same year, about 72 artifacts were returned from a museum in London, and 31 artifacts of Rod Island in US.