The Minister of State for Culture, Monika Grütters, had gathered museum experts and cultural politicians in a conference on April the 27th to talk about the Benin bronzes, which are stored in 25 German museums.
Benin bronzes are metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin since the 16th century. In 1897, the United Kingdom began to invade the kingdom. After the Ebo (now Nigeria) kingdom showed resistance to the British, the Benin bronzes were looted from the population. These were largely auctioned off in London to pay for the cost of the invasion. Of the suspected 3,000-4,000 pieces, about 1,000 are stored in Germany, most of them in Berlin.
The Nigerian government demanded a return of the bronzes in 2020.
At the online summit meeting, it was decided that all Benin bronzes that can be found in German museums will be entered into a central database that is accessible to the public. This is intended to address the criticized lack of transparency. In addition, returns to Nigeria are planned for 2022. Thus, according to Grütters, Germany would be a “pioneer.” However, some works are to remain on loan in Germany. A precise “roadmap” will be drawn up and published by the summer.
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