On Wednesday, the Netherlands agreed to return 119 artifacts to Nigeria, marking the latest repatriation of items taken during the colonial era as museums confront the issue of their colonial-era collections. The artifacts, known as the Benin Bronzes, were mostly housed in a museum in Leiden and were looted by British soldiers in the late 19th century from what is now Nigeria. They will be returned following a request from Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
The collection includes human and animal figures, plaques, royal regalia, and a bell. This move comes as governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly worked to resolve disputes over objects looted during colonial times.
Olugible Holloway, director of the commission, traveled to the Netherlands to sign the transfer agreement during a ceremony at the Museum Volkenkunde, marking what he called the largest single return of Benin artifacts. “We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this sets a positive example for other nations regarding the repatriation of lost or looted antiquities,” Holloway said in a statement.
Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of objects from museums worldwide in 2022. That year, 72 items were returned from a London museum, and 31 from a museum in Rhode Island.
The Benin Bronzes were stolen in 1897 when British forces looted the Benin Kingdom, now part of modern-day Nigeria. The decision to return the Dutch collection followed an assessment by a committee tasked with reviewing restitution requests from countries for artifacts in state museums. This marked the fifth time that Dutch cultural institutions have returned objects following the committee’s recommendations.
Eppo Bruins, the Dutch Minister for Culture and Education, stated, “Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and its people. The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria, and it’s good that they are going back.”
The committee is also considering restitution requests from Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia. In 2023, two Dutch museums returned hundreds of cultural artifacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka, many of which had been taken, often by force, during the colonial era.
Detroit officials are addressing the aftermath of break that affected hundreds of residents. Repairs to the damaged pipe are expected to take two weeks.
A major water main break in Southwest Detroit early Monday, February 17, left hundreds of residents stranded in freezing conditions. The break occurred around 3:30 a.m. when a 54-inch steel pipe, originally built in the 1930s, burst near 1020 Beard Street and North Green Street, close to Interstate 75.
