Return of Benin Objects to Nigeria: Perceptions and the Law

Afolasade A. Adewumi

Return of Benin Objects to Nigeria: Perceptions and the Law

Publication date: 18.12.2024

Santander Art and Culture Law Review, 2024, 2/2024 (10), pp. 209 - 226

https://doi.org/10.4467/2450050XSNR.24.018.20829

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Return of Benin Objects to Nigeria: Perceptions and the Law

Abstract

This research responds to the debates over who should own Benin objects returned to Nigeria and the news about the Oba of Benin commenting, prior to 2023, that the Benin objects to be returned to Nigeria should be returned to him and not the federal government. This article uncovers the perceptions of the members of the Igun community, many of whom are the descendants of the Igun guild that produced the Benin objects that were carted away from Benin Kingdom during the 1897 Expedition. Using a survey questionnaire and in-depth interviews, the article examines the perceptions of the Igun community about the Benin objects and the effect of the expedition on Benin art and heritage. The findings reveal that many believe the Benin objects should be returned to the Oba, who is the custodian of Benin culture and heritage. The respondents are also in agreement that the expedition, although brutal, nonetheless brought Benin art and heritage into the limelight. The article also carries out a critique of the Executive Order Notice No. 25, Order No. 1 of 2023, and concludes by stating that though the executive order is invalid, its invalidity is inconsequential with respect to the dictates of customary law, human rights law, and international law.

Keywords

Benin objects, Igun community, return, cultural heritage, southwest Nigeria

References

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Information

Information: Santander Art and Culture Law Review, 2024, 2/2024 (10), pp. 209 - 226

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4467/2450050XSNR.24.018.20829

Article type: Original article

Titles:

English: Return of Benin Objects to Nigeria: Perceptions and the Law

Authors

Afolasade A. Adewumi

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8503-7029

University of Ibadan
Nigeria

Published at: 18.12.2024

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY

Percentage share of authors:

Afolasade A. Adewumi (Author) - 100%

Information about author:

Afolasade A. Adewumi holds a PhD in Heritage Law. She is a Reader in the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law. She teaches Cultural Property Law, Human Rights Law, and the Nigerian Legal System. She is a member of international and national organizations on heritage matters. She served as an international heritage expert to Malawi at the National Workshop on First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis between 6 and 10 February 2017. She has been a member of the Steering Committee for the Drafting of the White Papers on Cultural Heritage – International Law Association – 150 YEARS – PARIS 2023. She has widely published in learned journals and textbook editorials. She is the Nigerian expert member for ICOMOS in the International Scientific Committee on Legal, Administrative and Financial Issues (ICLAFI).

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Return of Benin Objects to Nigeria: Perceptions and the Law

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