Returning the Benin Bronzes

In 1897, during the violent sacking of Benin City by British armed forces, thousands of artefacts were removed and subsequently sold in London.

116 objects, known as Benin Bronzes, eventually entered the collection of the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA).

The University is now in the process of arranging for the return of these objects to Nigeria.

In December 2022, the UK’s Charity Commission granted consent for the University to proceed.

In this film, shot at The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the museum’s Director, Professor Nicholas Thomas, and its Senior Curator in Anthropology, Dr Mark Elliott, explain how the Benin Bronzes entered the collection, why the University is now returning them, and how this process has developed.

They also pay tribute to exceptional artistic and cultural significance of the Benin Bronzes themselves.

The film includes footage of a number of the Benin Bronzes in question on display in the museum.

Read the full story here: www.cam.ac.uk/stories/beninreturn