Stolen Benin Bronze still remains at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

A Benin Bronze belonging to Nigeria is still at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, despite an agreement to return the sculpture 18 months ago.

It comes as the museum returned a caribou hide coat to an indigenous community in Quebec, Canada, last week.

The bronze was one of hundreds stolen during the invasion of Benin City by the British in 1897.

It is believed a dispute between Nigerian leaders about where to put the sculptures has slowed the repatriation.

Image caption,Bristol Museum and Art Gallery agreed to start conversations with Nigeria about returning the bronzes in March 2020

Last week, a hand-painted caribou hide hunting coat from the Cree First Nation of Northern Canada was returned to what is now known as Quebec, after being part of Bristol’s world cultures collection since the 1830-40s.

Bristol City Council, which runs the museum, received a letter from the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute (ACCI) in 2019 officially requesting the transfer of the coat into their guardianship.

The Deputy Mayor of Bristol Craig Cheney, said: “The coat holds special significance for indigenous communities who are trying to rebuild their connections with their ancestors and their traditional ways of life.”

He added the staff at the museum were “committed to building relationships and collaborating with originating communities”.

IMAGE SOURCE,BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL

Image caption,The ACCI said the return of the coat would enable its people to rediscover aspects of their traditions that had fallen out of widespread practise

A council spokesperson said the museum would also return the bronzes but that they were subject to a national conversation between the UK and Nigeria.

“Like many other venues across the country, we are awaiting further information on the next steps from authorities in Nigeria and the national organisations involved in these discussions,” the spokesperson said.

“As soon as we have further detail we will be able to progress with an action plan to determine a mutually agreed future for this controversial item.”

Several UK museums have this year announced they want to give back Benin Bronzes.

Last year, Prince Edun Akenzua, of the Royal Court of Benin, pleaded for the bronzes to be returned, telling BBC Inside Out West: “They were not originally made as museum objects.”

But in July, the BBC reported the king, or Oba, of Benin and the Edo State Governor were in dispute about where the sculptures should sit when they finally return.

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