Looted Benin Bronze artefacts remain at Bristol Museum

A Benin Bronze belonging to Nigeria is still at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, despite an agreement to return the sculpture in February 2020.

It was one of hundreds of bronze plaques stolen during the invasion of Benin city by the British in 1897.

But now the decision of a London museum to return other stolen artefacts to West Africa could put pressure the venue on Queen’s Road to follow suit.

The Horniman Museum has agreed to repatriate 72 objects, including 12 Benin Bronzes, to the Nigerian government after a unanimous decision by the trustee board – reigniting questions about the future of Bristol’s own looted items.

The London museum’s chair said it was “moral and appropriate” to return them.

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Bristol Museum stated an intention to return the bronze in 2020.

Bristol City Council, which runs the museum, returned a caribou hide coat to an indigenous community in Quebec, Canada, in October after receiving a letter from the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute (ACCI) in 2019 officially requesting the transfer.

At the time, deputy mayor Craig Cheney, said: “The coat holds special significance for indigenous communities who are trying to rebuild their connections with their ancestors and their traditional ways of life.”

The bronze however still remains in Bristol, with talks between the Nigerian officials and the  museum ongoing since 2019.

A spokesperson from Bristol Museum told Bristol24/7: “Some items in museums and collections across the world were removed by force during colonialism and war.

“We want to ensure the future of the Benin Bronze at our museum is not only protected, but also morally right.

“We, as well as many other collection keepers across the country, are therefore awaiting further information on the next steps from authorities in Nigeria and the National Commission for Museums & Monuments in Nigeria.”

Benin Bronzes are a group of metal plaques and ivory carvings that derive from the West African empire of Benin, symbolising royalty and beauty.

The plea to return the treasures originally came from prince Edun Akenzua of the royal court of Benin, who said: “They were not originally made as museum objects”.

The British Museum holds the world’s largest collection of Benin Bronzes. It says it is prevented from permanently returning items by the British Museum Act of 1963 and the National Heritage Act of 1983.

As well as the bronzes, Bristol Museum currently has 2,000 colonial artefacts in their possession.

Main photo: Maddie Clarke-Newell

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