Nigeria will loan 7 Benin bronze artefacts to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) for the next five years.
The move follows the repatriation of 29 Benin bronze artefacts back to Nigeria by the NMAfA.
Prof. Abba Tijjani, Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) disclosed the latest development in an interview on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, in Washington DC.
The NMAfA in a joint ceremony, collectively transferred ownership of 29 Benin bronzes to NCMM on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.
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The DG said the ceremony was important for Nigeria because the country wanted to show the world that some countries had responded positively to the repatriation of stolen artefacts from Nigeria.
“Many museums are responding positively, and it is the right thing to do for any museum of a country because you cannot illegally take artefacts away from their original place, and display them in your museums.
“This will create an unethical practice for the profession because you don’t have the moral attitude to display objects stolen and you expect visitors to comfortably visit the museums, go around, and enjoy them.
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According to him, Nigeria is willing to give some of the objects on loan in such cases that will allow display in moral and ethical attitude ways.
Tijani also confirmed that a piece of Benin Bronze called the “Head of a King” which had been in the collection of the Rhode Island Museum for more than 70 years, was returned to the Nigerian government on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.
The repatriation is part of a worldwide movement by cultural institutions to return artefacts that were often stolen during colonial wars.
In August, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London announced that it would transfer a collection of 72 Benin Bronzes to the Nigerian government.