Woke calls to return British Museum’s Benin Bronzes to Nigeria should be REJECTED, Sir Trevor Philips says
WOKE calls to return British Museum’s Benin Bronzes to Nigeria should be rejected, Sir Trevor Philips says.
The former equalities czar said the case for sending back 900 brass sculptures was “weak”.
British soldiers took the bronzes from the historic Kingdom of Benin in the late 19th century.
There are increasing calls for UK museums to return artefacts taken from other countries.
But Sir Trevor, who previously chaired the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said times change and rushing to send all artefacts back are wrong.
Writing in a Policy Exchange report, he said: “Recent years have seen an increasing call for British museums to return artefacts taken from other countries, often under circumstances of disputed legality.
“For some, this is a simple matter of right and wrong. Yet the truth is rarely as simple.
“Times change, cultures evolve, people migrate – and, over the centuries, artefacts gain meaning and connection to many people beyond those now living in the land from which they first emerged.
He added: “Take the case of the Benin Bronzes, taken to Britain in the late 19th century following a punitive expedition.
“And yet, the people of Benin obtained the brass for many of these artefacts by trading with Portuguese merchants in exchange for chattel slaves.
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“And are more people who have a meaningful connection to the Bronzes – including the global West African diaspora – more likely to have the opportunity to see the Bronzes in British museums, or in the Oba of Benin’s private collection?
“The case for returning them is weak.”
Sir Trevor said in some other circumstances - like when a religious artefact is venerated by the indigenous community - then the case for sending them back may be stronger.
The Benin Bronzes are a group of sculptures of elaborately decorated cast plaques depicting animals, humans and other objects.
They were created from at least the 1500s onwards in the West African Kingdom of Benin.
In recent years there have been increasing calls for the British Museum to empty its treasure trove and send artefacts back.
Most famously, Greece has demanded the Elgin Marbles are returned.
But critics of these calls say millions of people get to see these priceless artefacts in the halls of the British Museum.
They also point out that they have been protected from harm for many years because they have been safely guarded by the British Museum.
