A Berlin museum opens fully to the public this week with a very modern take on the display of cultural items from around the world and the debate over demands for some of them to be returned to their homelands. The east wing of the Humboldt Forum contains items from the city’s Ethnological Museum and the Museum for Asian Art. It will display some 20,000 objects, among them dozens of Benin Bronzes that were stolen in Africa during colonial times — as well as an exhibit explaining to visitors how most of them are soon to return to Nigeria. Benin Bronzes, that were stolen in Africa during colonial times, are displayed in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. The Humboldtforum museum opens fully to the public this week with a very modern take on the display of cultural items from a...
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Benin Bronzes: Germany ready but Britain reluctant to return colonial loot
Germany and Nigeria have signed an agreement paving the way for the return of hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa more than 120 years ago — an accord that Nigerian officials hope will prompt other countries to follow suit. Governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects that were looted during colonial times. A British colonial expedition looted vast quantities of treasures in 1897 from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now southwestern Nigeria, including numerous bas-reliefs and sculptures. The artifacts ended up spread far and wide. Hundreds were sold to collections such as the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has one of the world’s largest gro...
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