Culture Craze

Stolen Legacy Reclaimed: Netherlands Returns 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Published

2 months ago

June 23, 2025

Chiraag

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More than a century after their imperial theft, 119 sacred artefacts are finally home.

LAGOS – In a deeply symbolic and long-overdue moment, Nigeria has officially received 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands. The historic handover ceremony, held at the National Museum in Lagos in June 2025, marks a powerful cultural return – one that has been over 120 years in the making.

The Looting That Shook a Kingdom

The Benin Bronzes are not simply decorative antiques. These artefacts – crafted between the 16th and 18th centuries – are a visual record of the Benin Kingdom’s royal history, rituals, and sovereignty. In 1897, British colonial troops invaded Benin City under the command of Sir Henry Rawson, looting the royal palace and exiling Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi. Thousands of items were seized and dispersed across Europe and the United States, including cast bronzes, ivory tusks, carved plaques, and figures of leopards and prophetic birds.

For decades, these treasures sat in foreign museums – often without proper context or acknowledgment of the violent means by which they were obtained.

A Long-Awaited Homecoming

Olugbile Holloway, Director-General of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, said the artefacts are “embodiments of the spirit and identity of the people from which they were taken.” His words, delivered at the Lagos ceremony, echoed the collective voice of a country reclaiming more than objects – reclaiming history, dignity, and presence.

“All we ask of the world,” Holloway added, “is fairness, dignity, and respect.”

This return follows growing global recognition of the need to right historical wrongs. Germany, notably, has pledged to return more than 1,000 additional Benin artefacts, adding to previous returns from the UK (72 pieces) and the US (31 pieces) in 2022.

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Image 1: FREEK VAN DEN BERGH

What Happens to the Bronzes Now?

Of the 119 returned items, four are now on public display in the courtyard of the Lagos museum. These pieces – ranging from animal statues to carved ivory – will remain part of the permanent national collection. The remaining items will be returned to Oba Ewuare II, the traditional ruler and cultural custodian of the Benin Kingdom, where they will be housed under royal care.

This is not the end but a significant chapter in Nigeria’s broader repatriation efforts, which aim to recover artefacts from museums and institutions around the world.

A Global Reckoning with Colonial Loot

The Benin Bronzes have become a focal point in the global debate around cultural restitution and decolonisation. Many museums in Europe and North America are now facing increased scrutiny for the colonial origins of their collections. The British Museum, for example, still holds hundreds of Benin Bronzes and has yet to commit to returning them permanently.

Critics argue that token restitutions must be replaced by meaningful structural change – and that artefacts must be returned not just to their nations, but to their communities of origin.