For the first time, Germany is returning art objects stolen during the colonial period to Nigeria. From a German perspective, it was wrong to take the works of art and wrong to keep them, said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
There she lies. Looks a bit pale but with a strong facial expression. Her name: Iyoba Idia. Her age: around 500 years, but in good condition, only the iron in the decorative wounds on her forehead has been lost. The mask, about 20 centimeters long, shows the mother of the 17th king of Benin, who reigned from 1504 to 1550. Idia is carved from ivory and wears a necklace of coral beads. As she looks into the hall with her big, protruding eyes, it seems as if she is first looking around in this new environment, which is her home after all.