According to Aljazeera News Network, thousands of Benin bronzes are scattered around European museums after being stolen by the British in the 19th century. The attempt to return a few of the renowned African pieces of art is the latest in a series of attempts by Germany to try to take responsibility for its crimes in the colonial era.
In May 2021, it officially recognized the genocide it perpetrated in Namibia between the years: 1904-1908, pledging over one billion euros ($1.2bn) in financial support for infrastructure projects in the country.
Among the items being exhibited at the Humboldt Museum in Berlin, starting this weekend are a pair of thrones and a commemorative bust of the Benin monarch. These art pieces were used to decorate the walls of the royal palace in Benin City, in southern Nigeria. Two rooms in the sprawling museum had been dedicated to the art and the history of the Kingdom of Benin.
The recognition of the colonial injustices and the gradual return of the items “will continue to define our work in the future,” Hermann Parzinger, the president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversaw the national museums in the German capital, remarked in a statement. Meanwhile, Nigeria is planning to erect a museum in Benin City, to bring together the works as they return to their home country.
