“Benin—Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria”

I agree with you, i went today here in chicago to see some of the beautiful art you mentioned from the city of benin. today was the last day to see it and im very glad i did...i really love the african traditions and im always interested in the yoruba rituals and studies. "Good Luck" to you, i think some day the europeans and the americans will comply with the laws and return every item that was taken. peace and blessings...

ESSENTIAL POINTS ON THE BENIN BRONZES AND THEIR CONTINUED DETENTION BY EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN MUSEUMS AND INDIVIDUALS. There are some points about the Benin bronzes that the reader must know and always bear in mind: 1. That most of these beautiful and fine art objects were stolen by the British in 1897 when they invaded Benin City, executed some nobles, exiled the Oba (King) and burnt the city. 2. Some thousands of the Benin objects were sold by the British to other European and American museums and individuals. British Museum, London, is alleged to have some 700 pieces; the Ethnology Museum, Berlin has admittedly some 580 pieces, the Ethnology Museum, Vienna, some 167. Some of the finest pieces are in the United States, for example, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has one of the hip masks of Queen-Mother Idia. The British Museum has the other. The Field Museum has 400 all from the Benin loot. 3. The people of Benin and Nigeria have fewer that the European and American museums which refuse to lend or return any of these pieces. 4. The Nigerians and the Benin Royal family have been asking for years for the return of some of these pieces to Nigeria. The response of the Europeans and the Americans has either been dead silence or exasperated "no. 5. The United Nations and UNESCO have been urging countries holding such illegally and illegitimately exported objects to return them to their countries of origin. The Europeans and American remain impervious to all such appeals. 6. The hijacking of the religious and cultural icons of the African peoples by Europeans and Americans which was made possible by the colonialist and imperialist regimes should no longer be acceptable. 7. The human rights of the African peoples, individually and collectively, are being violated by this persistent and defiant refusal to return cultural objects which were not produced by the Europeans and American and were not meant for their use. Such a position also violates the freedom of religion in so far as many of the stolen African objects, for instance the many Ethiopian crosses in the British Museum, the Benin altars and the Fang reliquaries, are necessary for the traditional practice of religious beliefs. 8. Most of these objects should have been returned when the African countries gained Independence in the 1960s.The refusal to return those objects relating to power and cultural generally, is a denial of the right to self-determination. If a people cannot determine where their cultural objects should be, where then is the right of self-determination which includes not only the right to determine your constitution but also to determine your cultural policy and practice.? 9. True democrats and lovers of freedom and justice should insist on all governments respecting the right to cultural development of all, including the right to determine the destination of one’s cultural objects. This minimum requirement should be possible even in a world dominated by the use or threat of the use of force. 10). If European and American museums are unwilling to return African artworks much of which lies in depots of museum, they should at least stop talking about “heritage of mankind” and other such empty phrases which cover up the serious deprivation of the African peoples of their own cultural objects. DR. KWAME OPOKU