British university to return looted African artifacts

The transfer of the items, expected in the “coming months,” follows a formal request made in 2022, Nigeria’s National Collections has said

The University of Cambridge has announced it will return more than 100 artifacts looted from Nigeria during a 19th-century British military expedition. The move comes amid growing demands for museums in the UK to repatriate cultural items taken during colonial rule to their countries of origin.

The objects, known collectively as the Benin Bronzes, including bronze plaques, brass and wooden sculptures, carved ivory tusks, and ceremonial items, were ransacked in 1897 when British forces attacked the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria.

In a statement on Sunday, Cambridge said it has transferred legal ownership of 116 artifacts held at its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

“Physical transfer of the majority of the artifacts will be arranged in due course,” the university said, adding that 17 pieces “will remain on loan and on display at the MAA for three years in the first instance.”

Nigeria’s NCMM confirmed it has received legal ownership of the items, saying the transfer followed a formal request submitted in 2022.

“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,” NCMM Director-General Olugbile Holloway said.

READ MORE: Netherlands returns colonial loot to Nigeria

Several African states have stepped up efforts to reclaim cultural heritage from Western institutions, including the British Museum, which holds extensive collections acquired during colonial campaigns.

In August 2022, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London announced the repatriation of 72 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. Months later, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum returned 31 items – including a piece known as the ‘Head of a King’ – to Nigeria’s National Collections.

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Last June, the Netherlands also returned 119 artifacts to Nigeria, including human and animal figures, plaques, royal regalia, and a historic bell looted more than a century ago.

Ghana and Uganda have recently received dozens of royal treasures and traditional items taken during British colonial rule under loan agreements rather than through outright transfers of ownership.