Strong arguments for keeping Benin bronzes in the West

Benin Bronze

The Case for Keeping the Benin Bronzes in the West

In 1897, members of the British military in what is now Nigeria -- members of the colonizing force, essentially -- removed many pieces of bronze statuary and other pieces from the country and brought their cache to Europe (Opoku, 2008; Cremer, 2011). From here, the pieces were dispersed to a variety of museums and collections, with substantial shares in the British Museum and in Austria but with many major museums throughout the West (and elsewhere) claiming ownership of certain pieces (Opoku,2008; Cremer, 2011). Despite continual insistence that the pieces remain the property of the royal Benin family (or alternatively to the Nigerian state) from which the pieces were stolen as indigenous cultural artifacts and evidence of the strong and sophisticated society that colonization disrupted, the pieces have remained in the West for a variety of reasons; the merits of several of these arguments are assessed below (Opoku, 2008; Cremer, 2011; DebateWise, 2011).

Arguments for Western Retention

Though there is a general consensus amongst the nations of the globe and within international organizations that ancient and historic artifacts should be under the control of the nations form whence they came, many arguments have been raised for keeping the Benin Bronzes in the West and out of Nigeria (DebateWise, 2011). Whether or not these arguments are truly valid is another question. In truth, some of the arguments that have been made for keeping the Benin Bronzes in the West are quite strong, while others are decidedly less so.

The strongest arguments that can be made for continuing to keep the Benin Bronzes in the hands of the West and out of Nigeria are the need to protect the artifacts from theft, destruction, or other untoward action, and the need to grant and ensure appropriate access to the pieces for scholars and for public viewers (DebateWise, 2011). Due to the political instability and corruption that remains a major problem in the Nigerian state, there is a strong likelihood that something would happen to any pieces returned to the country that would effectively hide them from the rest of the world, including from most Nigerians, and even that pieces could potentially be lost or destroyed in any number of potential coups, uprisings, or internal thefts. The risk that the Benin Bronzes would cease to be an object of scholarly study or public fascination is, according to some, too great to allow the serious consideration of returning the pieces to the control of any Nigerian powers until the state's government has stabilized (DebateWise, 2011).

This argument is a compelling one, both due to the correctness of its premise (i.e. Nigeria is unstable and there is a strong possibility that the pieces would not be properly cared for or displayed, and could potentially be lost forever) and the fact that it cannot be directly countered by any arguments on the other side (Cremer, 2011; DebateWise, 2011). Other arguments, such as that the cultural history of the pieces includes the Europeans and that "legal ownership" was established upon British removal of the pieces, are less valid and even insulting to the Nigerian demands for control of their cultural artifacts (Opoku, 2008; DebateWise, 2011). Still, the possibility of loss or destruction is a strong reason for retaining Western possession of the Benin Bronzes.