Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The tower destroyed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza includes media offices, including Al Mayadeen's bureau.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Four fetuses and three premature babies died at Nasser Medical Complex due to malnutrition
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree: The missile force carried out a major operation using the Palestine 2 ballistic hypersonic missile, hitting several targets in occupied Yafa.

New York Museum Returns 3 Artworks Looted from Nigeria

  • By Al Mayadeen
  • Source: Agencies
  • 23 Nov 2021 18:41
3 Min Read

In a western bid to compensate for their colonization of Africa, the New York Met Museum returned three artworks to Nigeria, which were looted under British rule.

  • x
  • Tuesday's ceremony featuring the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States and the Director-General of the Met museum (Credit: the Metropolitan Museum of Art)
    Tuesday's ceremony featuring the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States and the Director-General of the Met museum (Credit: the Metropolitan Museum of Art)

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art returned Monday three artworks looted from Nigeria under the British colonial rule of the African nation.

Museums in countries exploited by western nations over the past centuries have been making increasing efforts to repatriate treasures stolen from their land by colonizers.

The artworks returned to Nigeria are two 16th-century brass plaques and a 14th-century brass head from the Kingdom of Benin, which is now part of modern-day Nigeria.

  • “Warrior Chief,” a 16th-century brass plaque, one of the artifacts the Met Museum returned to Nigeria
    “Warrior Chief,” a 16th-century brass plaque, one of the artifacts the Met Museum returned to Nigeria (Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The British occupation had stolen the artifacts from the Nigerian Royal palace in 1897. They then moved them to the British Museum in London until 1950, when the United Kingdom repatriated them.

  • The interior of the Benin king’s compound burned during the siege of Benin city in 1897, with bronze plaques in the foreground (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
    The interior of the Benin king’s compound burned during the siege of Benin city in 1897, with bronze plaques in the foreground (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Related News

Rubio bill sparks fears of passport revocations over speech

Grossi warns of nuclear risks, Iran slams 'Israel' at IAEA conference

Following their return to the National Museum in Lagos, the artifacts re-entered the art market, eventually ending up in the hands of a private investor, who then donated them to the Met in 1991, where they were exhibited until now.

Nigeria had made efforts in early October to retrieve artworks looted by Britain by offering them a piece of his own making in return for looted artworks. Britain then accepted his artwork without repatriating any artifacts.

On Monday, the transfer of the artwork was confirmed at a signing in New York by Met director Max Hollein and Aba Isa Tijani, the director-general of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria.

Tijani, quoted in the release, congratulated the Met "for the transparency it has shown" with Nigeria's minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, calling on "other museums to take a cue from this" decision.

"The art world can be a better place if every possessor of cultural artifacts considers the rights and feelings of the dispossessed," Mohammed said.

  • “Junior Court Official,” the second plaque from the Met
    “Junior Court Official,” the second plaque from the Met (Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art)

"The Met is pleased to have initiated the return of these works and is committed to transparency and the responsible collecting of cultural property," Hollein claimed after his museum exhibited these stolen treasures for some 30 years.

The restitution of stolen artworks in Africa by colonial armies has affected institutions across the western world who had been reaping the benefits of the work of others, which it is no stranger to.

Earlier this month, Benin welcomed back nearly 30 royal treasures looted from the West African state during France's colonial rule more than 130 years ago.

Hopes for retrieving stolen treasures and artifacts from the west have risen throughout Africa, colonialism's most affected country in terms of looted artifacts.

  • United States
  • Nigeria
  • New York
  • Benin
  • France
  • United Kingdom

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

American far-right activist Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Australia warned of deadly climate risks in landmark report
Environment

Millions at risk from rising seas, extreme heat in Australia: Report

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un inspects a new weapons factory in undisclosed location, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, August 31, 2025 (AP)
Politics

DPRK defies US, says nuclear state status 'permanently enshrined'

Soldier F faces trial over bloody Sunday killings after 53 years
Miscellaneous

British Soldier F faces trial over Bloody Sunday killings after 53 yrs

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate at the University of Sydney to protest the Israel Hamas war, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (AP)
Politics

Protest outside ABC decries media silence on Gaza journalist killings

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS