Al Jazeera English published this video item, entitled “Germany, Nigeria sign accord for return of looted Benin Bronzes” – below is their description.
Germany has signed an agreement to hand over the ownership of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. The art works, some dating back to the 13th century, are a large collection of sculptures and plaques looted by British soldiers from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897. It will be the single largest repatriation of stolen African artifacts so far.
Al Jazeera’s @Step Vaessen has more from Berlin, Germany.
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Al Jazeera English YouTube Channel
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In This Story: Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as Dahomey, the country gained full independence from France in 1960.
It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean.
The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country’s largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2018 was estimated to be approximately 11.49 million.
The official language of Benin is French, with several indigenous languages such as Fon, Bariba, Yoruba and Dendi also being commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun (commonly referred to as Voodoo outside the country) and Protestantism.
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