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Returning the Benin Bronzes

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In a major step toward cultural restitution, the University of Cambridge has formally transferred ownership of 116 historic Benin artefacts to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

The 116 objects, primarily made of brass but also including ivory and wooden sculptures, were taken when British soldiers sacked Benin City in February 1897, during the so-called ‘Punitive Expedition’ mounted in response to a violent trade dispute the previous month. In 2022, Nigeria officially requested their return. After reviewing the claim, the University Council supported it, and approval from the UK Charity Commission followed.

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: https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/benin-artefacts-return
Category
Academic
Tags
Cambridge University, Cambridge research, Benin Bronze
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