From Germany to Ireland, a fresh push to return the Benin bronzes
Al Jazeera
As a decolonisation movement sweeps across Europe, there are efforts to return art looted by British soldiers in 1897.
The story of the Benin bronzes is one Timothy Awoyemi, a British-Nigerian police officer, knows well. Like all schoolchildren in Nigeria, he was taught of the murderous 1897 raid when British soldiers plundered Benin City, stealing a priceless array of metal sculptures. So, unlike his United Kingdom-educated colleague Steve Dunstone, Awoyemi was not entirely puzzled by the scribbled note thrust suddenly into their hands: “Please help return the Benin bronzes.”More Related News