A dispute between Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state, and
Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, could jeopardise the return of the stolen Benin
artefacts to Nigeria.
In 1897, the Benin kingdom, which was well-known for its
rich cultural heritage and artefacts, was invaded by British soldiers, in what
is now known as the Benin invasion of 1897.
Thousands of bronze castings and other cultural artefacts
were destroyed while some were carted away.
Monica Grutters, German minister of state for culture, said the country is ready to make a “substantial return” of the 1,130 looted artefacts from the beginning of 2022.
Several museums in the UK have also made announcements of
repatriation.
But Ewuare II and Obaseki have been at loggerheads over who
will house the artefacts.
Obaseki had said “a transformational museum is to be built
in Benin City, to house the artefacts upon their return, as part of a new
cultural district in the city”.
The governor is doing this alongside a Legacy Restoration
Trust (LRT) group.
But the Oba of Benin countered his statement, saying the
stolen bronzes are not the property of the Edo state government but that of the
Benin kingdom and maintained that the “only legitimate destination for the
artefacts” is the Benin royal museum which will be sited within the vicinity of
the Oba of Benin’s palace.
According to the BBC, the British museum has signed a deal
with LRT for an archaeology project in Benin City, and the German government
discussing doing the same and funding an LRT building worth millions of dollars
to initially house returned Bronzes.
British and German officials, as well as other Europeans,
are said to have embraced the LRT in part because they believed trust and the
Oba were working together.
The dispute between the leaders may, however, jeopardise the
return of the artefacts.
A director of a European museum which has a large collection
of the bronzes and has previously spoken in favour of their return, said, “Our
policy is that if claimants are in dispute amongst themselves, we wait until
they resolve it”.
Similarly, Neil Curtis, director of the University of
Aberdeen in Scotland Museum, which had earlier this year said his museum will
give back a Benin bronze head unconditionally, said he will be “very
uncomfortable” if it is returned without agreement among all parties in
Nigeria.
But the federal government has said it will take possession
of the repatriated Benin artefacts and will take into “cognizance the culture
that produced the art works”.
Abba Isa Tijani, director-general of the National Commission
for Museums and Monuments, is reported to have said the dispute between the Oba
and Obaseki was a private matter between them — “local politics that cannot
slow down restitution”.
He suggested that a compromise can be made whereby Benin
bronzes are returned to various museums within Benin City, including one within
the palace grounds as well as LRT’s Edo Museum of Western African Art (EMOWAA).
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com