https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-60607353
Ornate carvings and sculptures were looted by the British as the African city fell
A museum is to exhibit artworks which were stolen during the sacking of Benin City to “proactively confront questions about Britain’s colonial history”.
The African city was destroyed by the British in 1897, with troops looting carvings and sculptures as it fell.
Liverpool’s World Museum said it would be exhibiting 21 works “directly or indirectly” linked to the sacking.
Executive director Janet Dugdale said putting the display together had been “challenging, creative and rewarding”.
Benin City, the seat of the Benin Empire, stood in what is now Nigeria and was sacked by the British during a punitive expedition in 1897, with thousands of religious and cultural artefacts being sent back to Britain.
See related:
- How UK museums are responding to Black Lives Matter – BBC News
- The man who returned his grandfather’s looted art – BBC News
- Benin Bronzes: ‘My great-grandfather sculpted the looted treasures’ – BBC News
- A guide to Africa’s ‘looted treasures’ – BBC News
- Nigeria’s Looty seeks to reclaim African art in digital form – BBC News
- Recovering a Looted Past: “Repatriating” African History – Digitizing Historical Maps, Images & Artifacts to Enhance Global Collaborative Research & Understanding
Transition Studies 