According to Reuters, Germany has signed a contract that will result in the return of Benin Bronzes that were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin in the 19th century. Benin was a former British colony that is now a part of Nigeria.
The agreement was signed on Thursday by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria and the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage, an agency of the German federal government.
About 512 artifacts will be transported from the Ethnological Museum collection in Berlin to Nigeria, while a third of the priceless items will stay on loan at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin.
“This reflects the future about the artifacts issue; a future of collaboration among museums, a future of treating with respect and dignity the legitimate claims of other countries and traditional institutions,” said NCMM’s Abba Isa Tijani.