Repatriation of benin art pdf

The benin conflict in which many hundreds of extraordinary works of art were seized and taken to europe began in the 1890s, when the oba king ovonramwen, benins ruler, demanded that british traders in west africa pay customs duties to benin, and after a team of nine officers sent by britains west african niger coast protectorate to meet. Benin plan of action plotting repatriation of looted. Benin bronzes looted by the british returned to nigeria. Benin art is one of the most reputable in the world, and the most documented of all subsaharan art. The british museum in london is opening a major new exhibition with a rather interesting subtitle. Repatriation from scottish museums learning from nagpra museum anthropology 2010. After centuries of cultural theft, why more nations are. The art of benin is elegant, fiery and mostly locked in the british museum. Whatever the origins of the benin kingdom, and despite the controversy. The african bronze art culture of the bight of benin and its influence. There are an estimated 2,400 to 4,000 known objects including 300 bronze heads, elephant tusks, and 850 relief plaques. In 1897, a british military expedition looted thousands of valuable artworks from the kingdom of benin. Oba ewuare ii calls for repatriation of benin artifacts.

Benin plan of action plotting repatriation of looted artefacts. Omo noba nedo, uku akpolokpolo, oba ewuare the second has renewed his call for the repatriation of all benin artefacts carted away during the british expedition to benin in 1892. After a promise to return african artifacts, france moves. Enduring civilisation the most important show ever. Memories and experiences barbara plankensteiner ed, benin. While efforts have been made to return these items to their rightful african ownersgermany recently returned a. Cultural property, restitution and value, journal of applied philosphy, 20, no. This dissertation is concerned with the internationally renowned collection of. A large number of the indigenous art and cultural artefacts adorning western museums, stately mansions of the european upper class, or hidden away in the private stashes of businessmen, travelers, tomb raiders, and soldiers in contact with the colonial world have. The kingdom of benin has produced some of the most renowned examples of african art. Here are contributions of some modern nigeria artists to raise the awareness of the repatriation and.

French president emmanuel macron and president patrice talon of benin hold a joint press conference after a. Within the kingdom, specialized artists belonged to guilds with hereditary membership and worked solely for the oba. At the heart of the issue of art repatriation, though, is the question of power. Give africa its art back, macrons report says the art. The magnitude of the stolen treasures from ethiopia during mussolinis massacre can only be compared to the rise of romes vaticant. The kingdom of benin if youre seeing this message, it means were having trouble loading external resources on our website. The brass plaques of the benin palace 2152 words 9 pages. The british auctions sparked a fever for benin bronzes, and museums in the u. The benin empire, which is located today in the southern region of presentday nigeria, controlled trade between europe and the nigerian coast from the late 1400s to the end of the 1900s. The benin monarch, omo n oba ewuare ii, has renewed the call for the repatriation of all benin artefacts carted away during the british invasion of benin kingdom in 1897.

The decision follows a report which estimates that some 90 percent of african art is housed outside the continent. They have a unique connection with the place where they were produced and are. In the past few decades, cultural institutions in the west have increasingly felt pressure to. After centuries of cultural theft, why more nations are returning looted artifacts. The benin bronzes is the name given to a group of artifacts produced by the benin empire, which occupied the area which is today nigeria. Talks are also underway to create a permanent display for the benin bronzes in nigeria. In 2005, the italian government returned the obelisk of axum to the people of ethiopia after possessing it for almost 70 years. The repatriation of cultural objects postcolonial literature. Give africa its art back, macrons report says a new report on the status of african objects in french museums will urge the president to return works taken without consent in the colonial. France agrees to return 26 african artworks claimed by benin. Memory and reconstruction, lecture delivered at university of zurich, 2005. It has obviously been a long battle, so long beneath the surface. Primarily made of cast bronze and carved ivory, benin art was produced mainly for the court of the oba of benin a divine ruler for whom the craftsmen produced a range of ceremonially significant objects. By looking at each repatriation request on a casebycase basis, objects of historical importance could be more evenly distributed.

The reasons given for non return of cultural property. In the ensuing decadesfrom oba ovonramwens exile in 1897 up to the resumption of benin s second dynasty with the enthronement of his son, oba eweka ii, in 1914works trickled out of. In december 2017, nigerias national commission for museums and monuments issued its own repatriation request calling for the return of the. European summit to discuss the return of looted west. Follow artsy on twitter follow artsy on facebook follow artsy on instagram follow artsy on facebook follow artsy on instagram. Art and artifact repatriation rachel heiss california state university, stanislaus university honors program introduction i am looking at art and artifact repatriation because i want to find out the current status of the ownershiprepatriation debate to better understand the relationship between museums and source countries so that we can find a. The challenges of repatriation business destinations. The reasons behind the repatriation e fforts for the return of benin artw orks is because of their use. The kingdom of benin, home of the edospeaking peoples, is located in the tropical rain forest region of what is now nigeria. The restitution, repatriation, and return of cultural. Kings and rituals court arts from nigeria, snoeck, 2007, pp.

When a national museum was planned for benin city in 1968, the authorities of the department of antiquities were faced with the problem of finding exhibits that would be shown to reflect the position that benin holds in the world of art history. While it often focuses more on summary than developing the many argumentative approaches mentioned, it offers a helpful backbone for further discussion. Earlier this month nigerias lower house of parliament called on its president, olusegun obasanjo, to request the repatriation of all the artefacts. The process of art repatriation should be that simple, but in reality, it isnt. Legal issues in african art iowa research online university of iowa.

Repatriation is the return of art or cultural heritage, often referring to ancient or looted art, to their country of origin or former owners or their heirs. Negotiations for the return of nok sculptures from france to nigeria. Historical artefacts should be repatriated to their origin of countryincluding the people which were stolen and scattered world wide. Macron announced the appointments in a joint appearance with the president of benin, patrice talon. Benin tier 2 benin is a country of origin, transit, and destination for women, children, and possibly men subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. The majority of identified victims are girls subjected to domestic servitude or sex trafficking in cotonou, the administrative capital. Art trafficking is not limited to the benin experience alone. Of popular knowledge among nigerians, yet also unknown by many.

Benin bronzes, often considered the repatriation icon of the african continent. Benin art is the art from the kingdom of benin or edo empire 14401897, a precolonial african state located in what is now known as the southsouth region of nigeria. Talking african art repatriation with curator and anthropologist meskerem assegued the work needs to be returned without any kind of conditions. If youre behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains. The study looks at the way in which these objects are interpreted, presented and made accessible in museums today.

Based on data collected from a variety of sources, it initially gives an account of the history and nature of the collection of benin bronzes. Its sculptures included bronze, brass, ivory, iron, wood, and. For instance, consider claims for the return of the benin bronzes, pillaged from the benin kingdom during the british punitive expedition of 1897, or the abundance of claims for the return of native american cultural items that led to the passage of the native american graves protection and repatriation act in 1990. Part of the african history commons, arts and entertainment commons. British mans return of stolen art of benin empire re. The repatriation of cultural objects leong yew, research fellow, university scholars programme, national university of singapore. The art of the kingdom of benin, not to be confused with the republic of benin, is most widely known for its bronze plaques. Bronzes to benin, gold to ghana museums under fire on looted art this article is more than 1 year old after emmanuel macrons pledge, british institutions face questions on exhibits looted. The restitution, repatriation, and return of cultural objects. Image plaques that form part of the benin bronzes on show at the british museum in london. This article is the fourth in a fivepart series discussing the restitution, repatriation, and return of cultural objects. Box 19324, university post office, ibadan, oyo state, nigeria. Appendices benin, art and the restitution question. Some are now in the metropolitan museum of art in new york and the art institute of chicago.

Jonathan jones begins a new series on the legacy of empire. Benins art reflects one of the great kingdoms of west africa, a rain forest. The portuguese arrived in benin, in modern nigeria, between 1472 and 1486 to find an established and ancient kingdom with remarkable social and ritual complexity, with art that was comparatively naturalistic, and with a political system that was, on the surface, recognizable to the europeans. Illegal trafficking of artefacts and traditional art works in nigeria. Exploring the visual arts of the benin kingdom of africa 2. Read and learn for free about the following article. In fact, there may be a stronger legal case to support the return of benin art to. A frieze from the parthenon taken by lord elgin in the early 19th century.

Ray on april 6, 2016 posted in art repatriation, cultural plunder. Two of the hundreds of benin bronzes looted by the british army during an 1897 raid have been returned to nigeria, leading to calls for more repatriations. French legal frameworks were thought to exclude the possibility of repatriation of objects in the national collections. Historical artefacts should be repatriated to their. The fate of the plaques sent to nigeria are in doubt as little of the collection of benin bronzes is currently on display. A misstep this is not the place to discuss the initiative of president macron in ouagadougou, nor the sarrsavoy report. The benin bronzes consist of several thousand commemorative plaques and sculptures that were made of brass of. The repatriation of these 26 benin artefacts is used as a veil to cover over a complex situation devised to obfuscate where france and the rest of.