France and Cambridge University return looted artifacts to Ivory Coast and Nigeria.
The return to Nigeria of more than 100 Benin bronzes by the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology (MAA) of the University of Cambridge and the Djidji Ayôkwe talking drum to the Ivory Coast by France mark significant progress in the restitution of African heritage looted during the colonial era, one of the central axes of historical reparation between Europe and Africa.
On February 8, the University of Cambridge announced the transfer of legal title to 116 objects from the ancient Kingdom of Benin to the Nigerian Government through the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). The decision came after a process that began in 2017. The pieces – which include commemorative heads, plaques with figures of warriors and animals, masks and golden bracelets – were seized by the British Army in 1897 during an expedition against the Kingdom of Benin, in southern Nigeria. After the looting of the royal palace, the objects were dispersed to various European museums and some of them ended up in Cambridge.
MAA Director Nicholas Thomas welcomed the agreement: “It has been immensely rewarding to maintain a dialogue with NCMM colleagues, members of the Royal Court and Nigerian academics, students and artists over the past ten years.” The position of the University contrasts with that of the British Museum, owner of nearly 900 Benin bronzes, the largest collection in the world, which for now refuses to return them, relying on British legislation – university museums abide by another rule. NCMM director-general Olugbile Holloway hopes the deal with Cambridge will cause a domino effect, telling The Observer: “For us, the return of cultural property is not just the return of the physical object, but also the restoration of the pride and dignity that was lost when these objects were taken.” The objects are expected to arrive in Nigeria in the coming months, although 17 pieces will remain on loan at the English university for at least three years for research and exhibition.
In the case of the restitution of the Djidji Ayôkwe talking drum, in 2019 the Ivorian president, Alassane Ouattara, requested France to return this sacred object kept in the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Six years later, the French Parliament approved a specific law that allowed it to be removed from public collections. The drum arrived in Abidjan on March 13 and will be installed in the Museum of Civilizations of the Ivory Coast. Beforehand, it is scheduled to pass through the village of Adjamé, from where it was stolen by French settlers in 1916. Three meters long and 430 kilos in weight, the Djidji Ayôkwe is of great importance to the Atchan people, who used it to convene ceremonies, announce events or warn of dangers such as the arrival of colonial troops. The French confiscated it in order to weaken local resistance.
In a historic vote in January, the French Senate unanimously approved a law to authorize mass repatriations of colonial-era artifacts to their countries of origin.
In the image above, one of the pieces that the MAA will return to Nigeria: a brass leopard with raised spots, attached by the head to a chain. Photography: MAA / University of Cambridge.
