When in 1935 the King of Benin, in today’s Nigeria, politely asked Germany if he could have his ancestors’ throne back, which the English had stolen and the Prussian museums had bought, the king from Berlin received the offer that one could Make a copy of the throne – against full payment of the costs, of course. The copy is now in the Museum of Benin City, right at the entrance, there is not a word about its history, there is no mention of the 1582 marks that the Berlin State Museums charged.
Almost a hundred years later, the throne once again belongs to Nigeria, which, despite the humiliation, has left it to the Humboldt Forum in Berlin for the time being, although there are reasons not to do so after such a long time. The fact that the looted art had come to Germany unjustly is something that could have been realized as early as 1935. However, it was many decades before the German museum directors were able to bring themselves to do so. For a long time, one of the top brakes was Hermann Parzinger, the president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, who asked in 2018 “whether Africa doesn’t have more pressing problems today”. On Thursday, Parzinger put his signature to a contract returning 512 Benin bronzes to Nigeria. When asked how his change of opinion came about, he said that the social discussion had changed. One can assume that Parzinger himself has not changed much. However, he has at least noticed that in the current climate it could also be dangerous for him to refuse the obvious. At a time when a critical public is wondering why we are still hoarding looted art, yesterday’s brakemen can’t go fast enough with the return today.
On the one hand, this is to be welcomed. On the other hand, one can only hope that the Nigerian state is not overwhelmed by all the returning artifacts that are being poured in at the moment. What happens in a notoriously corrupt country when so much wealth flows back is one question. Does that concern us, the other one. The police don’t only return a stolen car if the owner can show a garage.
The plan is to build a museum in Benin City. Whether it really comes is not so sure
On the other hand, many Nigerians also worry about what will happen to their history. The plan is actually to build a large museum for great art in Benin City with European help. Whether it really comes is not so sure. Today’s king wants as much as possible for himself, wants to have his own museum. It’s a tragic dispute, but no reason to delay the return. Germany can continue to offer its help, but no more.
However, one should not be too pessimistic. Art is of no interest to anyone in Africa anyway, skeptics have argued for years that it only finds the audience it deserves in Europe. In Benin, the neighboring country of Nigeria, the opposite can be admired: France returned 26 works of art there, and now there is a beautiful exhibition in the capital Cotonou, which is overrun by visitors. They come from all corners of the country to learn about their history.