Wearing protective gloves, a staff member at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden carefully removes a Benin Bronze from display, puts it on a pillow. The artefact, one of many looted over a century ago from modern-dayNigeria, is then gently wrapped in dozens of layers of special paper in order to be repatriated.

This marks the return of 113 historic pieces to the Wereldmuseum (World Museum), part of a broader push for Western institutions to return cultural items taken during colonial times.

“These don’t belong here. They were violently taken, so they need to go back,” said museum director Marieke van Bommel. “This is a typical example of looted art,” she added.

The bronzes’ tragic and violent history dates back to 1897, when a British military expedition attacked the Kingdom of Benin in retaliation for the deaths of nine officers. British forces destroyed Benin’s capital city, killed thousands, and looted its royal palace. Many of the bronzes were sold to fund the expedition, and later dispersed to European and American museums.

Nigeria has long campaigned for their return. The Netherlands is now repatriating a total of 119 pieces (including six from Rotterdam), while Germany has also agreed to the restitution of looted artifacts. The British Museum, however, continues to refuse returns, citing a 1963 law preventing such action.

Van Bommel expressed hope that other nations will follow the Dutch example.

“I think we all agree that this collection doesn’t belong in European museums. We do hope that other countries will follow this example,” she said. “It’s a cultural value, so we never put a price on it,” she noted. Four bronzes will remain in the museum temporarily on loan to educate visitors.

The Leiden museum has previously returned items to Indonesia, Mexico, and a community in the U.S. The Benin Bronzes will be shipped to Lagos in mid-June. In 2023 former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari had announced that the bronzes would be handed over to the Oba of Benin and not the Nigerian state. A new museum is planned in Benin City to house and showcase these treasures.