Many decades after, and many centuries after the British looted Nigeria’s artefacts, the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom has announced plants to return an ancient Benin bronze carving to Nigeria.
The institution made the announcement in a statement posted on its social media handles on Thursday, the 25th of March.
The University also stated that it recent recently repatriated religious objects and historical remains to Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Aberdeen Uni Museums and Special Collections@uoacollections· Following on from this morning’s announcement of the decision to return a ‘Benin Bronze’ from the University’s collection to Nigeria, we would like to share more of the artwork’s history and reasons for its return.
Aberdeen Uni Museums and Special Collections@uoacollections·5/ Others were later given as gifts to museums or sold at auction. This Head of an Oba sculpture was purchased at auction by a University curator in 1957.
6/ Knowing this history, to retain the artwork for our collection today would be to perpetuate the colonial violence that brought it to Britain in the first place.
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