Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 03:11 pm
A bronze statue that was looted from what is now Nigeria more than a century ago will be returned, Cambridge University in Britain says.
The cockerel was taken in 1897 from the Court of Benin and given to the university several years later. The statue was removed from public view in 2016 after students protested, saying it represented a colonial narrative.
Governments and institutions in the West are under growing pressure to return artifacts taken decades or centuries ago, especially from Africa. Some have begun assessing their collections and discussing next steps to take.
Last year a report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron recommended that French museums give back works taken without consent, if African countries request them.
The experts who presented the report estimated that up to 90% of African art is outside the continent, including statues, thrones and manuscripts. Thousands of works are held by just one museum, the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, opened in 2006 to showcase non-European art — much of it from former French colonies.
Since the French report, Congo, Senegal and Ivory Coast have requested the return of artifacts.
Earlier this month, France restored to Senegal a sword that had belonged to 19th century Islamic scholar Omar Saidou Tall, who led an anti-colonial struggle against the French.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe visited Senegal to hand the sword to President Macky Sall.
Last week The Open Society Foundations, an international grant-making organization founded by billionaire George Soros, announced a four-year, $15 million initiative to help repatriate cultural objects to African nations.
AP
Locals in southern Nigeria claim that the pipeline oil spills are becoming more frequent and endangering the lives of nearby…
Locals in southern Nigeria claim that pipeline oil spills are becoming more frequent and endangering the lives of nearby villages.…
The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin, becoming the…
Trade between African and GCC countries stands at $ 121 billion in 2023, double of what it was in 2016.…
Family members struggling after one week after of Cyclone Chido ripped through the French island territory of Mayotte expressed helplessness…
The United Arab Emirates has launched its orphanage project in Ethiopia's Oromia region on the orders of President Sheikh Mohamed…
This website uses cookies.