Module 5.2: Case Study Research
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Topic starter
04/03/2024 8:14 pm
- What demands for reparation have been made - Establish a museum in Benin City to house the works of art that were looted by European states and collectors in 1897. The Group seeks to make this artwork accessible to the descendants of the people who created it with the repatriation of the most significant pieces to Nigeria.
- By whom - Benin Dialogue Group and the Governor of Edo State work with museum directors from Europe to return the pieces to their place of origin
- For what historical harms - The looting of the artifacts in 1897 coincided with the land grab and exploitation of Africa illustrative of the age of imperialism. The looting of these artwork not only denied the African people of their own cultural heritage, it also undermined the political and social structure of the Edo Kingdom.
- In what arenas demands have been made (courts, policymaking, public protests, unclear..) - The calls for the return of the Benin bronzes have primarily taken place through the media.
- How these demands have fared - In June 2022, the Smithsonian Institute returned 29 bronzes to Nigeria. In December 2022, Germany returned 22 of the 1300 pieces it agreed to return to Nigeria earlier in the same year. This has hastened negotiations with other noted cultural institutions such as the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institute.