The Swedish government is set to return 40 sacred artifacts from the Kingdom of Benin to Nigeria, marking one of the largest repatriations of the so-called Benin Bronzes.
Nigerian media report that the artworks are expected to be received by a delegation from the Benin Palace in Lagos today, a development that Oba Ewuare II, the monarch of Benin, described as years in the making. Since ascending to the throne, Ewuare has advocated fiercely for the return of bronze sculptures, ceremonial objects, and ivory carvings—collectively known as the Benin Bronzes—from museum and private collections worldwide, with considerable success.
“We have been trying, through my grandfather’s efforts, to bring back our artifacts,” Ewuare said in a statement. “My grandfather succeeded, my father succeeded more, and I think now history is obvious to everybody. We are doing our best to triple and triple all those efforts of our forefathers.”
The Kingdom of Benin was looted of roughly 5,000 royal and religious objects in 1897 by British forces on a punitive expedition through what is now Nigeria. Dispersed through illicit channels among museums and private collections worldwide, the artifacts have become emblematic of efforts by formerly colonized countries to reclaim their cultural heritage, as well as the broader—and often contentious—debate over the ethics of ethnographic collections. In recent years, public sympathies have seemingly shifted toward formerly colonized countries, prompting a wave of repatriations. Museums across the United States, as well as institutions in the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland, have returned Benin Bronzes and other ethnographic objects to their countries of origin.
The Swedish government also announced today that it will return 77 objects belonging to the Kallawaya people, including human remains, to the Archaeological Museum in La Paz, Bolivia. The remains were taken out of Bolivia illegally and remained in the collection of the World Culture Museum until 2023, when the Swedish government announced their transfer of ownership.
