The Sack of Benin and the Benin Bronzes
A British punitive expedition burns Benin City, exiles the Oba and carries off thousands of royal artworks to Europe.
- The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution — Dan Hicks, Pluto Press (2020)
- Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria — Barbara Plankensteiner (ed.), Snoeck (2007)
- Joint Declaration on the Return of Benin Bronzes and Bilateral Museum Cooperation — Federal Republic of Germany and Federal Republic of Nigeria, German Federal Foreign Office (2022)
- A History of Nigeria — Toyin Falola and Matthew M. Heaton, Cambridge University Press (2008)
By the 1890s Britain wanted control of trade in the Niger Delta hinterland, and the independent kingdom of Benin stood in the way. In January 1897 a British party led by acting consul-general James Phillips set out for Benin City during a sacred festival, against the Oba’s warnings; most of the party were killed. Within weeks a punitive expedition of about 1,200 British troops attacked the city, which burned.
- The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution — Dan Hicks, Pluto Press (2020)
- A History of Nigeria — Toyin Falola and Matthew M. Heaton, Cambridge University Press (2008)
Oba Ovonramwen was exiled to Calabar, where he died in 1914. The soldiers took thousands of brass plaques, heads, ivories and other royal objects, many of them sold to help cover the costs; they ended up in museums and private collections across Europe and America.
- The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution — Dan Hicks, Pluto Press (2020)
- Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria — Barbara Plankensteiner (ed.), Snoeck (2007)
Nigeria has asked for their return since independence. In July 2022 Germany signed an agreement transferring ownership of about 1,130 Benin objects in its public collections to Nigeria, and the Smithsonian and several British and other institutions have also returned works.
- Joint Declaration on the Return of Benin Bronzes and Bilateral Museum Cooperation — Federal Republic of Germany and Federal Republic of Nigeria, German Federal Foreign Office (2022)
- The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution — Dan Hicks, Pluto Press (2020)
The objects were stolen in a violent attack and must come home. The Oba of Benin and the Nigerian state have both claimed custodianship, and in 2023 a federal gazette recognised the Oba as owner of returned works, which sparked debate over where they should be displayed.
- The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution — Dan Hicks, Pluto Press (2020)
- Joint Declaration on the Return of Benin Bronzes and Bilateral Museum Cooperation — Federal Republic of Germany and Federal Republic of Nigeria, German Federal Foreign Office (2022)
Some museums argue that the objects are safe and widely seen in "universal" collections, and some, like the British Museum, say they are barred by law from giving them up. Others, including German museums and the Smithsonian, have transferred ownership.
- The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution — Dan Hicks, Pluto Press (2020)
Why it matters today
The Benin Bronzes have become the world's best-known case for returning colonial loot. Their return is a matter of dignity for the Edo people and for Nigeria, and the slow, partial restitution from museums in Germany, the US and Britain is followed closely.