Traditional Institutions and Cultural Heritage Law: The Case of Benin Bronzes

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ID: 288752
2025
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Abstract
On 27 October 2021, Cambridge University’s Jesus College commemorated the historic return to Nigeria of the bronze statue of a cockerel called “Okukur.” This was looted from the ancient Kingdom of Benin in 1897 by British colonizers. The college resolved to relinquish ownership to the Oba, who is the cultural, religious, and legal head of Benin. On 23 March 2023, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari decreed that the “ownership of the artefacts… is vested in the Oba.” The genesis of this order was controversies about the ownership, control, and management of returning objects. This article analyzes the role of the traditional institution of governance in the socio-legal politics of cultural heritage restitution in Nigeria. Building on the traditional leadership’s claims on the returned artworks, it explains the need to use the momentum of restitution to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the national and international legal systems to protect cultural heritage.
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persistent_1761421536_68fd28e03dd31 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors L. Amede Obiora
Journal ADVANCES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRACTICE
Year 2025
DOI
10.1017/S0021853725100625
URL
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-history/article/traditional-institutions-and-cultural-heritage-law-the-case-of-benin-bronzes/DC3CA3CDDF55BDE9CF216CAE2AE11DA6
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