Nigerian artists offer to donate artwork to British Museum in a bid to encourage them to return looted artefact

Artists from Nigeria’s Benin city have offered to donate their artwork to the British Museum in London in a bid to encourage it to return the stolen antics. The precious Benin Bronses were looted by the British troops from Nigerian royal court in 1897, Reuters reports.

As per reports, these artefacts were created in 16th century in the then mighty kingdom of Benin. The bronze and brass sculptures are some of the most culturally significant artefacts from the African country. The European museums which have stored them over the years have come under fire because these artefacts were looted and are symbols of colonial greed.

Hence, the Ahiamwen Guild of artists and bronze casters have offered to give the British Museum contemporary artwork which are not tainted by the British history of looting and also showcase Benin’s modern-day culture.

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Nigerian artist Osarobo Zeickner-Okoro, one of the founding members of the guild said that the artists never stopped making artwork even when they were looted. Recently, the artists had put up the artwork on offer on display in Benin City. However, the British Museum said that this is only a matter of discussion between itself and parties offering the objects.

Germany has reportedly said that it would return the Benin Bronzes from its museums to Nigeria. However, the British Museum, which holds the largest and most significant collection of artefact, has not made any such commitments.

Zeickner-Okoro believes that the artefacts should be returned to Benin city stating that while at display in the British Museum, the artefacts could reach a wider audience, they should now be returned to the people who created them. “The descendants of the people who cast those bronzes, they’ve never seen that work because most of them can’t afford to fly to London to come to the British Museum,” he said.

Benin Bronzes

In 1897, a British Military force looted thousands of metal sculptures and ivory carvings from Western Africa’s Kingdom of Benin from Edo State which is now part of southern Nigeria. They have been regarded amongst the greatest work of Africa.

Recently, European governments have come under pressure to atone their colonial-era crimes and some of them have agreed to return the loot.