The case for the return of the Benin bronzes is so morally clear that it has been widely taken up. But efforts are now being turned upside down—by the Nigerian government
The dispersal of the Benin bronzes around the world did much to cement their historical and aesthetic reputation as some of the finest artworks ever made in Africa. But views about how they were acquired have changed. The destruction of Benin City has come to be seen as one of the low points of British imperialism, the looting of its sculptures as indefensible.
Those efforts are now being turned upside down—by the Nigerian government. President Muhammadu Buhari, who leaves office this month, recently announced that returned bronzes will not be handed to thebut to the current Oba, Ewuare II , “as the original owner and custodian of the culture, heritage and tradition of the people of Benin Kingdom”. Ewuare II is the great-great-grandson of Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, from whom the bronzes were first seized.
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