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Cambridge University returns 116 Benin artefacts to Nigeria

By Juliet Anine
2 Min Read
Hundreds of thousands of historical artworks from Africa remain outside the continent, including (clockwise from top left): an Oduduwa helmet mask made of bronze from Benin City in Nigeria, housed at the British Museum in London; the “Royal Seat of the Kingdom of Dahomey” from Benin Republic, at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris; an ivory receptacle with figurative relief and stopper from the Loango coast, part of modern-day Republic of Congo, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; a Central African power figure from the coast of Congo and Angola, now at the Met; a Mbangu mask from southern Bandundu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, housed at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium; a head of a royal ancestor from the former Benin Kingdom, a part of modern-day Nigeria, displayed at the Quai Branly; and a carved ivory pendant mask of Queen Idia, inlaid with iron and bronze, from Benin Kingdom, now at the British Museum. CREDIT: © Trustees of the British Museum; Gerard Julien/AFP via Getty Images; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Royal Museum for Central Africa; Philippe Wojazer/Reuters; © Trustees of the British Museum

Cambridge University has formally transferred legal ownership of 116 Benin artefacts to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

The university announced the decision on Monday, describing it as a major step in addressing the colonial-era dispossession of cultural heritage.

The artefacts, mainly brass, ivory, and wooden sculptures, were taken by British troops during the 1897 sacking of Benin City. The transfer followed a formal request by the NCMM in January 2022. The university’s Governing Council supported the claim, and authorisation was granted by the UK Charity Commission.

Most of the objects will be physically returned in due course. A small number will remain in Cambridge on loan, displayed at the university’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) for public and academic access.

The decision aligns with similar commitments by museums in the UK, the United States, and Europe to return Benin material looted during the colonial period. MAA has engaged in long-term dialogue with Nigerian stakeholders, including the Benin Royal Court, artists, and academics, since 2018.

NCMM Director-General Olugbile Holloway called the transfer a turning point. “This development marks a pivotal point in our dialogue… The return of cultural items for us 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 in the first place,” he said.

MAA Director Prof. Nicholas Thomas stated, “It has been immensely rewarding to engage in dialogue with colleagues from the National Commission of Museums and Monuments… Over the period, support has mounted nationally and internationally for the repatriation of artefacts that were appropriated in the context of colonial violence. This return has been keenly supported across the university community.”

The NCMM operates under Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy and oversees 53 museums, 65 national monuments, and two World Heritage Sites across the country.

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