The Benin Bronze plaques in the Africa gallery.

The Benin Bronzes are a collection of thousands of intricately designed brass, bronze, and ivory sculptures. They originated in the 16th century from the Kingdom of Benin in West Africa. These artifacts date back several centuries and represent the cultural and artistic heritage of the Benin people. Some of these artifacts include sculptures of animals and humans, masks, plaques, and decorative ornaments. The Benin Bronzes served as powerful symbols of authority, history, and culture for the Obas and Queen Mothers of Benin.

Now a question you might be wondering is how these objects ended up in the British Museum. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the British dominated the Nigerian coast and its trade. It was during the aggressive expansion of colonial power that the British Museum got the Benin Bronzes. British forces occupied and captured Benin City in 1897. This city saw widespread destruction with many casualties. The Benin Royal Palace was among one of the monuments burned. Its shrines and objects were looted by the British forces. Some of which included the brass heads of former Obas and over 900 brass plaques.

British soldiers with objects looted from the royal palace during the military expedition to Benin City in 1897.

In October 2021, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in Nigeria sent a written request to the British Museum asking for the “Nigerian antiquities.” In addition to this written request, representatives from the Benin Royal Palace have made public statements asking that the collections be returned. There is a long-term working partnership between the British Museum and Nigerian colleagues and institutions. This relationship has allowed the museum to engage in conversations pertaining to the Benin collection. The British’s take on it is that they should keep active engagement with Nigerian institutions to pursue and support new initiatives developed. They have been working towards opening a new permanent display of Benin art in Benin City. The British also partnered with Digital Benin to digitally reunite as many historical objects and photographs as they can to illuminate the Benin Kingdom. I think Nigeria went about the manner in a respectable fashion. They formally wrote them asking the antiquities be returned, and then representatives made various public statements. While I understand Nigeria wants their original pieces back, they are in a safe place at the British Museum. I like how there are efforts being made to “reunite” as many pieces as possible. Even though they won’t be in Nigeria in person, they will still be displayed in either photographs or replicas. 

‘Benin Bronze’ plaque showing the king (Oba) in regalia and with symbols of royal power (c.16th–17th century).

The British Museum has so much to offer. One piece in particular though caught my eye. It is a Benin Bronze plaque showing the king in regalia with symbols signifying royal power. This figure shows a king with beaded ornaments on his dress, a fish on each of his sides, and a leopard in each hand. The king sacrificing leopards is a ritual act performed at coronation that dedicates him strengthening his mystical powers. This plaque still remains in the British museum. While the British Museum still has a lot of the Benin Bronzes from Nigeria, there have been some countries to return some. This shows that there are some innocent and egalitarian exchanges, just not with Britain in this case.