Liberals ‘Repatriated’ Artifacts to Africa – Have the Priceless Objects Now Disappeared Completely?
The article discusses the controversy surrounding the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes, a collection of historic sculptures from the West African Kingdom of Benin, which were taken by colonial powers and have since been housed in various Western museums, including the British Museum.Recently,the Horniman Museum in London returned some of these artifacts to Nigeria,leading to claims that they would be managed by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria.
however, the article suggests that these bronzes are not publicly displayed in Nigeria and raises questions about the legitimacy of the return, asserting that they were originally traded away by the ancestors of the current Oba of Benin in exchange for slaves. The author criticizes what they see as a misguided attempt by Western activists to rectify historical wrongs, claiming it highlights a flawed narrative that portrays non-Western cultures as innocent victims incapable of wrongdoing.The piece argues that such portrayals can perpetuate a form of racism by infantilizing other cultures, thereby ignoring their complex histories and actions. Ultimately, the article suggests that the repatriation of artifacts like the Benin Bronzes is not as straightforward as it may seem, reflecting broader themes of morality, guilt, and historical accountability.
If there is a sphere seen by the public eye, leftists will find a way to use it as an outlet for virtue signaling.
Taken the Benin Bronzes, for example. The set of sculptures date back to the 1500s from the West African Kingdom of Benin, according to the British Museum’s display of some of these sculptures. In April, The Spectator reported another set of Benin Bronzes had been “repatriated” by the Horniman Museum in London, England, to Nigeria.
Curators were told the Benin Bronzes would be seen to by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria, a body that seeks to preserve the country’s past.
You can find some on Benin Bronzes, metal plaques that were made by craftsmen in the Kingdom of Benin, shortly after the Portuguese first arrived in 1485 and started trading with them.
Notice the Portuguese soldier on one of these! https://t.co/7SvJHHCDsH pic.twitter.com/sNFaC67Zih
— Aristocratic Fury (@LandsknechtPike) April 6, 2025
The Spectator reported, however, that the sculptures are nowhere to be found by the public. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari signed an official statement saying they belonged to the Oba of Benin, not the commission. The evidence does not look promising that they are on display anywhere in Nigeria.
The story gets better.
How did the ancestors of the Oba depart with the Benin Bronzes? They were traded to the Portuguese for slaves, most likely, says the Spectator.
Yes, a group of guilty English leftists gave priceless artifacts back to a country who then gave them to a man whose family willingly gave them away for slaves.
The Spectator reported that this magnificently idiotic decision is indicative of a broader trend by activists to pressure curators and museums to return artifacts to their country of origin.
The example of the Benin Bronzes speaks to the broader liberal ethos of oppressed and oppressor. If the Western world has something, it took it by force. The non-Western world was surely at its mercy, being the victim of thievery, oppression, or worse.
It’s inconceivable that the rest of the world — in this case the Kingdom of Benin — could have been pursuing nefarious ends by departing with the bronzes, such as by trading slaves. Surely the evil Europeans were just looting and plundering from a peaceful and harmonious people who only wished to be left alone.
Now it is time to give back what is owed.
Ironically, this mentality toward the non-Westerners breeds its own type of racism despite trying to combat exactly that.
Western leftists infantilize the rest of the world by declaring they are incapable of such great evils as slavery, warfare, and genocide. These are an innocent, childlike people, according to the left.
It is only the West that is capable of evil, so goes that view.
The Benin Bronzes are exemplary of the inaccuracy of this outlook.
The Oba probably laughed, shook his head in disbelief, and gladly took back the Benin Bronzes his ancestors departed with, having secured a tremendous deal.
His ancestors got their slaves, he got the sculptures back, and the Western world, in all its stupidity, probably felt like it was doing a good thing.
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