Felix Omoh-Asun in Benin
Omo N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, has called on the German government to honour its pact with the Palace of Benin to repatriate artworks in its procession.
The Benin monarch made the call as the royal palace formally received 18 Benin artefacts that have been warehoused in Switzerland for the past 125 years.
The artworks form parts of broader artefacts that were looted from the Benin Palace in the 1889 expedition of the British government
Oba Ewuare called on the German government to honour the 2022 agreement it voluntarily entered in with the Nigerian government to return the over 1,000 Benin artworks domicile in the country.
The returned artefacts by the Switzerland include an ancestral head of a Benin Oba looted during the 1897 punitive expedition against the Benin Royal Court by British Forces in modern day Edo State.
Speaking during the ceremony, the Benin monarch disclosed that the royal objects are not just for curiosity, but represent a people’s record of governance, spiritual being and artistry.
The royal palace also confirmed that the Benin Royal Court has received over 150 original looted Benin cultural objects since he ascended the throne of his forebears.
Giving historical account of the restitution, Oba Ewuare noted that the process began during the reign of his grand after, Oba Akenzua, the second. He said his father, Oba Erediawa received the first batch of repatriated Benin artefacts.
Oba Ewuare also charged officials of other Museums in other countries to return Benin artworks in their possession which were looted during the British expedition.
He said the request was logical to redress the colonial injustice against the cultural identity and values of the Benin people.
“The Benin bronzes are not curiosity. They are records of governance, spirituality and curiosity of the Edo people taken by force. To delay their return is to continue dispossession by other means,” Oba Ewuare said.
Oba Ewuare in addressing the Switzerland delegation led by the Director General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments, NCMM, Holloway Olugbile, said the Benin palace was appreciative of the Switzerland government, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Olugbile and members of his team, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo and other stakeholders for their effort towards the restitution process that led to the recovery of the priceless treasures.
The traditional ruler particularly commended former President of Nigeria, late Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu for their unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s cultural sovereignty and their invaluable support in ensuring that the repatriation of looted artefacts came to light.
Oba Ewuare, who made a rare move and danced around the cultural objects, added: “I commend the National Museum and Monuments and its Director-General, Mr. Olugbile Holloway for their steadfastness in securing the return of the looted artefacts.”
Earlier in his remarks, the National Museum and Monuments and its Director-General, Mr. Olugbile Holloway and leader of the delegation, congratulated Oba Ewuare during the symbolic presentation of the artworks for keeping faith in NCMM.
He said, “I must say at this point that the Switzerland government throughout the entire process was extremely cooperative, extremely transparent. And they did everything within their powers to ensure that this day came sooner than later.
“Today, we brought with us a total of 18 objects. Your Royal Majesty as we have promised, we are committed, the ownership these artefacts have long been put to bed. It is our wish that the National Museum and Monuments will continue to earn the trust of your Royal Majesty”, Holloway said.
In his remarks, the Consular-General of Switzerland Embassy in Nigeria, Conny Camenzind, expressed gratitude to the Oba of Benin and the government of both Nigeria and Switzerland for the historic return of the artworks, which she said symbolizes mark of better things to come.
A Director from one of the Museums in Switzerland, Prof. Alice Hertzog, commended Oba Ewuare for setting them on the right track in 2021 when the recovery process began, just as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, who was joined by the Secretary to the State Government, Musa Ikhilor and members of the Edo State Executive Council to receive the artefacts, described the event as homecoming.
He maintained the artefacts symbolize history, identity and cultural pride of the Benin people, vowing the state government will sustain advocacy for the return of additional treasures.
