This information was provided to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview with Prof. Abba Tijjani, Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), on Wednesday in Washington, DC.
On Tuesday, 29 Benin bronzes were jointly given to NCMM by NMAfA during a combined ceremony.
The ceremony, according to the director general, was crucial for Nigeria because it wanted to show the world that other nations have welcomed the return of stolen treasures from their country.
“Many museums are responding favorably, and it is the proper course of action for any museum in a nation because it is against the law to take antiquities out of their rightful locations and show them in museums.
“This will lead to unethical activity in the field; you don’t have a moral attitude to display stolen objects and you expect guests to freely enter museums, tour them, and take in their exhibits.
“So, they are portraying these artifacts to turn them back to Nigeria, which is the proper thing to do,” he stated.
Tijani stated that Nigeria was eager to collaborate with any museum or organization that was willing to repatriate the nation’s artifacts in order to lend out some of those items for a set amount of time.
He claims that Nigeria is willing to loan out some items in circumstances that allow for displays that reflect moral and ethical principles.
Tijani also confirmed to NAN that a piece of Benin Bronze called the “Head of a King” which had been in the collection of Rhode Island Museum for more than 70 years was returned to Nigerian government on Tuesday.
The repatriation is part of a worldwide movement by cultural institutions to return artifacts that were often stolen during colonial wars.
In August, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London announced that it would transfer a collection of 72 Benin Bronzes to the Nigerian government.
He said that Nigeria had on July signed an agreement with the government of Germany to repatriate 1,130 Benin Bronzes, adding that some of them would be shipped to Nigeria before the end of the year.
Similarly in an interview with NAN, Ms Ngaire Blankenberg, director of NMAfA, said the Museum had transferred ownership of 29 Benin Bronzes to NCMM.
Blankenberg said the decision was based on ethical consideration and to establish trust with those considered to be the museum’s constituents and community, which are Africans and African diasporic people all over the world.
“It’s important that everyone feels confident that what we have in our museum has been procured ethically, and that hasn’t been because of a violence against other people other Africans.
“It’s also important to us that because the bronze is an artwork, you know, taken through looting in 1897 it was a colonial conquest. It was violent, it was hurtful, that we try and rectify that wrong,’’ she said.
The director said the NMAfA had discussed with the NCMM to retain a few of the works of art on long term loans and the commission had indicated the terms of loan.
“The reason for that is that the Royal Court and the Nigerian government feel quite strongly that these are such powerful works of art.
“They feel that the work can also act as ambassadors not only for Nigeria, but for the Royal Court of Benin into the broader world,’’ Blankenberg said.
