France to return looted treasures to Benin 129 years after their pillage

Published 29 Oct,2021 via Business Daily - In April this year, Germany agreed to return to Nigeria, priceless artifacts that were stolen during the colonisation of Africa. British troops looted thousands of artworks, which came to be known as the Benin Bronzes from the Kingdom of Benin, in present-day Nigeria, in 1897. Following auctions in the open market, some of the bronzes ended up in museums and private collections across Europe and America. They hold deep cultural significance to the peoples of Benin, and there has been growing international pressure to have them returned to their rightful owners.

This week, a Paris museum is exhibiting over a dozen colonial-era treasures taken from Benin in what will be the last time they are shown in France before they are handed back in a milestone gesture.

Comprising 26 pieces, from a trove of objects snatched by French forces in 1892, amid the ransacking of Abomey Palace, they will be shown at the Quai Branly Museum for just six days before being shipped to the West African country at the end of this month. The treasures are from the Kingdom of Dahomey in the south of present-day Benin city and include the throne of Dahomey’s last king, Behanzin, three totemic statues, four palace doors, several portable altars, and three warrior dance staffs.