The grandson of a British soldier who took part in the looting of Benin City in the late 19th century is returning items his ancestor took in a move experts say opens up a debate about what could happen to the hundreds of items that are in private collections around the UK.

Mark Walker, the grandson of Capt Herbert Walker – a British soldier who was part of the 1897 punitive expedition to Benin City in southern Nigeria where thousands of items were looted – has loaned the objects to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, which will display them before they are returned to the royal court of Benin.

Dan Hicks, a professor of archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum and its representative on the Benin Dialogue Group, said they were was pioneering a new model for restitution.

“What we’re learning is that restitution can take many forms,” he said. “This seems to be something completely new that we’re doing, in that we are able to support the wishes of a private individual to restitute their own objects.”



The two wooden ceremonial paddles were brought back by Walker’s grandfather in 1897 and remained in his family. He became aware they were from Benin after seeing similar paddles on the Horniman Museum’s website. After Hicks got in touch about his grandfather’s journal he kept during the expedition they began work on restitution. There is no set date for their return but Hicks and the Pitt Rivers Museum will display the items next to its current Benin cabinet and work to repatriate them.



“This extreme example of violent looting in the 1890s in Nigeria is an iconic but also very little understood episode,” said Hicks. “As a society, we’re coming to terms with and starting to understand histories of empire that you’re not taught in school.”

Walker had previously returned two items to the Oba (ruler) of Benin in 2015, when he travelled to Nigeria and handed back two bronze pieces that his grandfather took in 1897. He said: “For me, the most important thing is that the descendants of one of the soldiers who was responsible for the sacking of Benin are making a gesture of respect for that people and its culture.”

The restitution comes after Jesus College at the University of Cambridge pledged to return a bronze cockerel taken by British colonial forces during the 1897 looting. The Okukor will be one of the first Benin bronzes to be returned to Nigeria by a major British institution. Sonita Alleyne, the master of Jesus College, said the decision was not taken to “erase history” but came after work that looked into the legacy of slavery at the institution



In November, Manchester Museum became the first UK institution to return ceremonial items to Aboriginal groups nearly a century after they were stolen by British forces. On Tuesday, France confirmed a timetable for the return of 26 objects to Benin. The French culture minister, Franck Riester said the items would be returned next year or at the beginning of 2021.

Hicks said that “without a doubt” there were “significant numbers” of other Benin items in private collections around the UK. The largest collection of Benin bronzes is held in the British Museum. But academics estimate there are thousands scattered around the world, with many remaining in Britain after soldiers returned with them and either kept or sold them.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/17/soldiers-grandson-to-return-items-looted-from-benin-city-nigeria

British Thieves. they should also return all the monies they made off these items from the displays and people who came to view them at their museums all these years

This is quite a pleasant gesture.

There is something I have been thinking off. I do not think antiquities should die with the old.
I think too, programs (sponsor programs) can be held to train young people in re-creating these priceless artifacts. It would be a good way To help us to weave us firmly into our history and also I see many other economic advantages.

ColonelEmeka:
British Thieves. they should also return all the monies they made off these items from the displays and people who came to view them at their museums all these years

They will never do that , instead they will fight for Brexit so that they will be free from EU then they can continue to exploit Africa and Asia to take care of their Queen

Ok

Ok

Won’t it be better off there?? We have maintenance and continuity problem here in African as a whole. Keep them there and 100years from now it’s all gonna be fine like it is now But Return it to Niaja and come back after just 6months spits

okay

raid a country and loot them dry while calling it colonialism

That's cute of him. They did us a favour by keeping it for us. We would have lost them either way.
Affordable Uk-used laptops for sale. Check my signature.

These are some of the stolen artefacts. I took these pictures myself at the Horniman Museum last year.

The young man has a conscience.

If na some people dem go say we die here.

Sometimes I no dey blame Yahoo boys,na revenge be that oo but no to crime

Nice move

Grandson of a Thief

Dis is a good idea

I pray they will not go and duplicate the items and return the fake ones to us.....fear these whitemen!

Ok

They stole all these and now returning them back but our leaders keep stealing and yet sending to their banks to save and acquire properties abroad

Who's the real thief here?

jerryunit48:
They will never do that , instead they will fight for Brexit so that they will be free from EU then they can continue to exploit Africa and Asia to take care of their Queen

Why are their fellow human beings so weak that hey are easily conquered and exploited by the Brits?
Mental laziness cum long throat greediness?


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Hope they won't make a replica??

Whereby they will send the replica and keep the original?

valentineuwakwe:
I pray they will not go and duplicate the items and return the fake ones to us.....fear these whitemen!

gurunlocker:
Hope they won't make a replica??


Whereby they will send the replica and keep the original?

Instead of wailing anyhow why not develop skills to verify the authenticity of the returned items. Abi oyinbo dey stop you for that also?


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MhizJoyce:
That's cute of him. They did us a favour by keeping it for us. We would have lost them either way.
Affordable Uk-used laptops for sale. Check my signature.

Those who do not value their culture enough might lose them but not in Benin. Those items that were hidden during the war and those in locations the British didn't know are still available today. I know that firsthand.

The items wlll soon become personal items..finding their ways to the ogas houses..

They will surely re-sell it