CBCIU seeks return, repatriation of Nigeria’s cultural objects

Amid the growing demand for the return and repatriation of Nigeria’s cultural objects, the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, a UNESCO Category II Institute based in Osogbo, Osun State has also lent its voice to such demand.

On Monday, 7 March 2022, Aderemi Suleiman Ajala, Professor of Medical Anthropology/Development Studies, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Ibadan, delivered a paper titled Restitution and Return of the Looted Nigerian Cultural Objects: Matters Arising as part of the CBCIU Monthly Seminar Series organised by the Research, Programmes and Publications Unit of the Centre.

According to Prof. Ajala, “several reasons prompted the interest among Nigerians for the repatriation of cultural objects, one of which is the need to build revenues from non-oil sectors amidst dwindling oil revenues. He observes that looted cultural objects in Nigeria are linked to colonial and post-colonial rule, starting from 1897 when more than 4,000 pieces of these objects were stolen from the Benin Palace.”

He said, “these objects later found their way to Europe and through loans and donations, spread to the United States and were housed in private collections, Institutions, public museums and research centres.

“In the second phase, particularly between 1967 and 1970, which heralded the Biafran war, close to 800 cultural objects were taken from Oron Museum and exported to many parts of Europe. Britain, Germany and France, according to Ajala, hold the largest Nigerian cultural objects where they are kept, researched on and used to generate revenue through tourism.”

Part of the don’s discussions also centred on the factors influencing looting and trafficking of cultural objects in Nigeria such as, poverty, absence of effective laws to prevent looting and trafficking of cultural objects.

He went on to examine the magnitude of looting and impacts on Nigeria’s cultural identity and economy, which he argued, has been difficult to imagine since 1897. In his view, “The magnitude of Nigerian cultural objects that are domiciled outside Nigeria has a great impact on Nigerian cultural knowledge and identity.”

There have been several processes of restitution and return carried out over the years some of which the don cited. For instance, diplomatic negotiation and lobbying guided by international norms and conventions like the 1954 Hague Convention; the 1970 UNESCO Convention; the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3187 of 1973 ((UNGA); and the 1995 UNIDROT Convention. Others include the 1970 judicial process between Nigerian and France in a French court and voluntary release

According to Prof. Ajala, recent efforts have been taken on restitution and return by countries such as France, Britain, Germany, and the United States, yet, challenges remain. This includes legal, weak international norms and conventions, weak diplomatic relations in negotiation for returns and restitution, lack of political will, poor local valuation, intergovernmental conflicts among others.

As part of the matters arising on the subject of restitution and return of the looted Nigerian cultural properties, Ajala commended the countries that have shown interest in returning the artefacts but questioned their sincerity. He urged Nigeria to step up its campaign towards getting all its looted cultural objects and ensure there is an effective capacity to establish well-equipped museums that can house the repatriated cultural objects in Nigeria.

The paper concluded on the need for Nigeria to further strengthen its approaches in claiming back all the looted cultural objects through the domestication of international norms and conventions relating to the repatriation of cultural objects in Nigeria.

The don also made an urgent plea for entrenching the knowledge of history, archaeology and anthropology in both elementary and secondary levels of education in Nigeria to enable Nigerians from birth to identify and recognise the relevance of their diverse culture in building strong civic nationalism in a Nigerian nation-state.