Photo: Valerie McGlinchey | Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-2.0-UK
London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens said last week that it would return to Nigeria ownership of 12 plaques from the Benin Bronzes, a cache of objects seized from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897 by British soldiers. The museum said it was transferring ownership of these Benin Bronzes, plus 60 other objects that include an altarpiece and brass bells, to Nigeria. In many circles, the Benin Bronzes have been considered painful symbols of a colonial conquest. The objects made their way to England after being stolen amid a bloody expedition that saw the killing of around 200 Africans. “The evidence is very clear that these objects were acquired through force, and external consultation supported our view that it is both moral and appropriate to return their ownership to Nigeria,” said Eve Salomon, chair of the Horniman Museum’s board of trustees.
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