Benin bronze returned to Nigeria

Returning Nigeria’s stolen art - 22nd October 2021

The stolen bronze statue of a cockerel is being returned to its rightful owners. The statue was taken in 1897 when the British army occupied Benin City, which is in present-day Nigeria.

The artwork, which is known as the "Okukur", was given to Jesus College in Cambridge in 1905 by the father of a student. It was on display in the college dining hall until 2016. In 2019, the college announced it would return the piece to Nigeria.

A signing ceremony has been held at Jesus College. The master of the college, Sonita Alleyne, described it as "a momentous occasion." And that returning the statue to Nigeria was the "right thing to do." The bronze had "cultural and spiritual significance to the people of Nigeria. It's part of their ancestral heritage," she added.

Ms Alleyne said Nigeria would decide how and when to move the statue. It will be kept by Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

Almost 10,000 bronzes were taken by the British after they captured Benin City. Approximately 900 are still being kept by the British Museum, and many more are in museums and institutions around the globe.

When Jesus College announced it would return the Okukur in 2019, it was the first institution to do so. And now, Nigeria is hoping that others will follow and more of their stolen artworks will be handed back.