The Benin Bronzes were looted from the Kingdom of Benin by the British Army in 1897 and are currently held in museums across Europe and North America. According to Felicity Bodenstein of the Sorbonne, “nearly all European and North American museums with extra-European art collections hold at least one Benin artwork.” Some of the Bronzes are now being returned to Benin City in the Edo State of South Nigeria. Prior to its opening, the Berlin Humboldt Forum is planning, in conversation with Nigeria, the full restitution of its collection of Benin Bronzes.
Enotie Ogbebor is an artist based in Benin City and an expert on the bronzes. He told Museums Journal that “the need to right the wrongs of the past which occurred with the British invasion of Benin kingdom, the massacre of our people and the looting of her treasures is now more dire than ever to start a much-needed process of healing and closure.” Ogbebor is also a member of the Benin Dialogue group which “was formed in 2010 to brings together museum and government representatives from Nigeria and Europe to discuss a way forward.” (Museums’ Association) Over 5000 Benin artefacts remain from those which were traded and sold across Europe in the violent wealth-building operating of 19th century colonisation. Oba Ewuare II has said that “we want ‘some’ of the looted objects back, not all. Because they have become ambassadors of our culture around the world.” Those objects which are rightfully repatriated to Nigeria will eventually be cared for in a museum being developed in Benin City: The Edo Museum of West African Art.
The Benin Bronzes is not necessarily the beginning of a total restitution of colonially pillaged objects. The Benin Dialogue Group was set up over ten years ago and the conversation around decolonisation and restitution has been ongoing for decades. The voices of those whose nations were colonised are the most important ones in the conversation around colonisation. However, the idea of an equitable dialogue suggests that European institutions expect a certain level of graciousness from former colonised peoples. Stolen items are not being automatically returned on ethical grounds, the mythology of European ownership must be broken down over decades and decades of work and conversation.
“The devastation and plunder wreaked upon Benin City during the British military expedition in 1897 is fully acknowledged by the museum and the circumstances around the acquisition of Benin objects explained in gallery panels and on the museum’s website.” Said a statement by the British Museum. “We believe the strength of the BM collection resides in its breadth and depth, allowing millions of visitors an understanding of the cultures of the world and how they interconnect over time – whether through trade, migration, conquest, or peaceful exchange.” This attempt to address colonisation is very telling about European attitudes towards those that continue to suffer the reverberations of colonial violence and stolen wealth. The problem with many European museums is that knowledge becomes a form of violence. Knowledge is valued above justice and an active response to suffering. In a global economy driven by capital, symbolic gestures can only go so far. The British Army did not only steal objects, they stole wealth. Wealth leads to power and prosperity, and cultural artefacts are capital. The stealing of cultural objects minimised the wealth of those colonised and maximised the wealth of those colonising. Even in that final sentence from the British Museum, “trade” and “conquest” are slipped innocently into the statement, glossing over the reality of “pillage” and “murder.”
Voices of people from those countries who were colonised absolutely take precedent over European institutions clinging to “knowledge”. However, all the work should not be put on them. They do not have a list of everything that was stolen from them. They should not have to fight for it. The Manchester Museum gives an example of a step in the right direction. When hiring the new Curator of Living Cultures, Georgina Young, head of exhibitions and collections at Manchester Museum, will make explicit that “repatriation and restitution [are] a core part of the job.” They will not put the financial strain and labour on previously colonised countries to request their stolen cultures and history. Instead, “the new post will proactively look for contested items in the collection.” Young wants to ensure that the museum is “honest about where [the collection] came from and how we claimed it. That’s part of the duty of care.” It is yet to be seen whether this will be successful, but the return of 43 sacred and ceremonial items to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in November 2019 shows a good start. Young described it as a “transference of expectation; it is part of our duty of care to identify items that might be contested and open up the conversation.” Museums must take an active approach to decolonisation rather than waiting to respond.
Sources:
Benin Bronze: The Potentials of Cultural Heritage by Emmanuel Ikhenebome & Lutz Mükke, The Nigerian Observer
Landmark breakthroughs welcomed in Benin Bronze Dispute by Geraldine Kendall Adams, Museums Association
Manchester Museum makes moves towards repatriation and diversity by Eloise Feilden, Museums Association
Image via Artnet
Misha Farlowe 