…Assures on work on Benin Royal Museum
Jesus College of Cambridge University’s decision to return ‘Okukor’ statue, one of the priceless artifacts looted from Benin in 1897 has raised the hope of Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki’s mission to secure repatriation of more famous Benin artworks in Europe and other parts of the globe.
It is the Governor’s plan, in collaboration with the Benin Palace and Benin Dialogue Group to have all repatriated artifacts housed and exhibited at the Benin Royal Museum.
On March 9 2016, Alltimepost.com published a report from the Guardian UK about the removal of a controversial bronze cockerel that was looted from Africa in the 19th century which for a long time stood in the hall of a Cambridge college, following calls from students for it to be repatriated.
According to the report, the university agreed that the statue, one of the Benin bronzes, should be taken down from the hall in Jesus College and that discussions should get under way to decide its future, including possible repatriation to Nigeria.
In February of the same year, in a move that echoed the Rhodes Must Fall campaign in Oxford to remove a statue of the Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes, the Jesus College student union (JCSU) passed a motion saying that the sculpture, which is properly known as the okukor, should be returned.
While Oriel College in Oxford, site of the Rhodes statue, turned down student demands to remove it, Cambridge announced, following a meeting of the council at Jesus College, that the cockerel would be removed permanently.
On Thursday November 28, 2019 AFP reported that Cambridge University college has said it would return the statue, which formed the focus of protests over symbols of Britain’s colonial past.
The statue was taken in 1897 from the former kingdom of Benin, which is now part of southern Nigeria, and given to Jesus college in 1905 by the father of a student.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, according to AFP, the college said the recommendation to return it was made by a working group investigating the legacy of slavery.
“This royal ancestral heirloom belongs with the current Oba (king) at the Court of Benin,” it said, adding that the details of how and when it would be returned had yet to be resolved.
The statue was removed from display in 2016 following protests by students, who said it was looted by British troops during a “punitive expedition” as revenge for the killing of officers.
Around the same time, Oxford University faced an angry but unsuccessful campaign to remove a statue of 19th-century British imperialist Cecil Rhodes.
Nigerian royals in Benin City have repeatedly called for the return of hundreds of ancient artifacts, known as the Benin Bronzes, which were looted by the British in the 19th century.
The highly decorative pieces, depicting the Oba and his courtiers from centuries earlier, are still housed at leading museums around the world, including the British Museum in London.
There has been resistance to any return from western institutions, primarily because of concern about how the treasures would be maintained.
But the young brother of late Oba Erediauwa, Prince Edun Akenzua, told AFP in 2016: “If a man stole my car and admitted that he stole it and returned it to me, what is his business whether I have a garage or not to keep the car?
“These artefacts belong to our ancestors. They must be returned to us. It’s nobody’s business how we preserve them.”
It would be recalled that Governor Obaseki of Edo State, upon assumption of office promised to restore the dignity and heritage of Edo people with a retrieval of the state’s looted artworks held in museums and private collections across the world.
He eventually partnered with the Oba of Benin and the Benin Dialogue Group, with the mission to pursue the repatriation of artworks stolen in the 1897 expedition by British soldiers at the Palace of the Oba of Benin and other notable art pieces from the Benin Kingdom.
In a statement on Friday, by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, the governor said that the news of the return of the art piece is heartwarming and lends credence to his campaign to ensure that such artworks are returned to Benin City, their home, as the artworks hold significance for the identity, culture and heritage of the people.
“We are very happy that Jesus College of Cambridge University is returning the artefact that was looted from the Oba of Benin Palace during the 1897 punitive expedition. This is a milestone in the campaign by the Benin Dialogue Group, which has been at the forefront of efforts to repatriate stolen artworks.
“Working with the Benin Dialogue Group, we have made some progress in the plan to construct the Benin Royal Museum, where we would hold the artworks for exhibition in collaboration with the palace of the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin.”
He noted that the state government had committed $1.5 million dollars in its 2019 budget for the design and building of the Benin Royal Museum.
“Efforts are also ongoing to create a museum trust, which will be responsible for the planned Museum, its operation and will also be a custodian of the collections,” he added.
The Benin Dialogue Group is a multi-lateral collaborative working group that brings together museum directors and delegates from Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom to work with the Edo State Government and the Royal Court of Benin and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday warned nations across the world to return all the looted artifacts belonging to Nigeria or prepare for legal battle.
Mohammed said that Federal Government would use all “legal and diplomatic instruments” to demand the return of Nigeria’s stolen artifacts and cultural materials worldwide.
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