Did you know that today, about 90% of Africa's cultural heritage remains outside the continent? This includes some of the most celebrated sculptures in the world, the Benin Bronzes, made in the West African Kingdom of Benin in modern-day Nigeria. To be able to have your own artefacts available to you in your own country is the bare minimum.
They mean more to society in Africa. It's just common sense for them to be returned. But how did most of these important artefacts end up in Europe?
In 1897, a date that you'll probably keep seeing whenever you look up Benin bronzes, British soldiers invaded the Kingdom of Benin and looted thousands of items, including artworks that date as far back as at least the 13th century. They're not just pieces of art. When you look at them, they tell a story and they tell the story of a people.
The markings on the plaques. We'll give an account of the people's history. Just like the ones you're looking at now at the Horniman Museum. 125 years since these items were seized, London's Horniman Museum said it would return 17 artifacts, including 12 brass packs to the Nigerian government, stating that this is both moral and appropriate.
But the Horniman Museum is not the only institute to take such a step. In late 2021, Jesus College at Cambridge University became the first institute to return a Benin bronze sculpture in a celebrated handover ceremony. This year, Germany did the same.
When I create videos talking about issues like this, the intention is that people who aren't aware can become aware. And then when we create awareness, hopefully our cause will gain some more traction and decisions will be made. Now that the calls of African activists, officials and representatives are finally being heard, many see in the return of these treasures a new chapter where African heritage and its place in world history is acknowledged and reclaimed. It's better late than never, that's the way I'll put it.
People starting to realize that Africa actually has its own creativity, its own ingenuity, and they can actually be recognized as full owners of these objects.