Al Jazeera English published this video item, entitled “Museums around the world are returning artefacts to countries of origin | Inside Story” – below is their description.
London’s Horniman Museum has returned its collection of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
They were stolen in the late 1800s, by British colonial troops after they invaded the Kingdom of Benin in what is now Nigeria.
The artefacts ended up in museums in Europe and the United States and African states have sought their return for decades.
So how can other countries ensure their cultural treasures are given back and can go on display for generations to come?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Barnaby Phillips, Author
Dr. Jos van Beurden, Senior Researcher, Colonial Cultural Collections and Restitution, Free University, Amsterdam
Luigi Prada, Professor of Egyptology, Uppsala University
Al Jazeera English YouTube Channel
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About This Source - Al Jazeera English
The video item below is a piece of English language content from Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera is a Qatari state-funded broadcaster based in Doha, Qatar, owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network.
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.
Nigeria, an African country on the Gulf of Guinea, has many natural landmarks and wildlife reserves. Protected areas such as Cross River National Park and Yankari National Park have waterfalls, dense rainforest, savanna and rare primate habitats. One of the most recognizable sites is Zuma Rock, a 725m-tall monolith outside the capital of Abuja that’s pictured on the national currency.
The United States is a country also known as the United States of America, USA, US or just America. There are fifty states in the union, which is a federal republic ruled by a representative democracy. Nearly ten million square kilometres are inhabited by over 300 million people. The majority of Americans speak English.
