Officials from Germany announced recently that they had reached an agreement with the African nation of Nigeria to return some of the famed Benin Bronzes that were looted from the country in the 19th century, in a move reminiscent of the Parthenon sculptures controversy, according to greekreporter.com.
The looting took place during the colonial rule of the region by European powers of the time.
Nearly 500 of the plundered artifacts are on display in several German museums, in a situation very similar to that of the Parthenon sculptures, which are displayed in the British Museum in London.
The handoff is expected to take place next year under a deal reached between Germany and Nigeria on Thursday.
”The fact that we have succeeded in agreeing on a timetable for the restitution of the artifacts with the museums and their sponsors is a turning point in dealing with our colonial history. We have worked hard to create the framework for this,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas noted.
In 1897, British soldiers snatched thousands of exquisitely decorated bronze and brass plaques and sculptures created by guilds in the Kingdom of Benin in what is now Nigeria. The objects, which have become known as the Benin Bronzes, are on display in museums around the globe.
The British Museum has over 900 of the objects that were looted during the nineteenth century from this culturally rich region of the African continent.
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