Germany signs deal to return bronze Benin to Nigeria

The federal government signed an agreement with the German government on Friday, July 1, to begin the repatriation of hundreds of Benin bronzes back to Nigeria.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Culture Minister Claudia Roth signed the deal with their Nigerian counterparts in Berlin after Germany first announced it would begin returning the bronzes last year.

At the signing ceremony, Culture Minister Lai Mohammed thanked Germany for “taking the lead in correcting the mistakes of the past”, greeting “the beginning of a new era of cooperation”.

The first two works of art, the head of a king and a plaque with three warriors, were presented to representatives from Nigeria on Friday, July 1.

“Today we have reason to celebrate as we have reached a historic agreement, the Benin bronzes return home. These pieces are not only beautiful artifacts, they are some of Africa’s greatest treasures. But they also tell a story of colonial violence,” she said

Thousands of bronzes, metal plates and sculptures from Benin that once adorned the royal palace of the kingdom of Benin are now scattered throughout European museums after being looted by the British in the late 1800s.

Germany has about 1,100 artifacts from the 16th to 18th century, spread over some 20 museums. The largest collection is held by the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has 440 pieces that are considered the most important collection outside the British Museum in London.