Sweden is set to return 40 sacred objects from the Kingdom of Benin to Nigeria and 77 objects, including Indigenous human remains, to Bolivia. The Benin artifacts are expected to be received in Lagos by a delegation from the Benin Palace; the Bolivian objects are destined for the Archaeological Museum in La Paz.
Two returns, two destinations
The Nigerian return concerns objects from the Kingdom of Benin, collectively known as the Benin Bronzes. The group includes bronze sculptures, ceremonial objects and ivory carvings. Its expected reception by a delegation from the Benin Palace places a representative of the historic Benin institution at the handover in Lagos.
Separately, Sweden will transfer 77 objects belonging to the Kallawaya people to Bolivia. The group includes human remains, and the stated receiving institution is the Archaeological Museum in La Paz. The remains were taken out of Bolivia illegally and were held in the collection of the World Culture Museum until 2023, when the Swedish government announced their transfer of ownership.
What the Benin return changes
The objects come from a royal and religious heritage looted in 1897, when British forces carried out a punitive expedition in what is now Nigeria. Roughly 5,000 objects were taken from the Kingdom of Benin. They later entered museums and private collections around the world, making questions of ownership and return central to debates over colonial-era collections.
Oba Ewuare II, the monarch of Benin, has pressed for the return of bronze sculptures, ceremonial objects and ivory carvings held abroad. He described the latest development as the result of efforts spanning generations, invoking the work of his grandfather and father as well as his own campaign. The handover would add 40 objects to the returns sought by the Benin Palace.
Who receives the objects
For Nigeria, the expected recipient at the Lagos handover is a delegation from the Benin Palace. The objects are associated with the Kingdom of Benin, while the state receiving country is Nigeria. That distinction matters: the return is not simply a transfer to a national collection, but also concerns a palace representing the community and institution connected to the artifacts.
In Bolivia, the named destination is the Archaeological Museum in La Paz, which is to receive the 77 Kallawaya objects. The collection includes human remains as well as other objects belonging to the Kallawaya people. The earlier change in ownership, announced by Sweden in 2023, preceded the announced physical return.
What remains unsettled
The announced returns do not, by themselves, resolve the wider dispersal of Benin objects. The roughly 5,000 objects looted in 1897 were scattered among institutions and private collections, and the Swedish group accounts for 40 of them. The announcement identifies the expected Nigerian recipients and the Bolivian museum, but leaves the practical details of the handovers to be confirmed.
For the Kallawaya objects, the next point to watch is the transfer to the Archaeological Museum in La Paz; the remains’ return is part of a larger group of 77 objects. For the Benin artifacts, the outstanding detail is the handover to the Benin Palace delegation in Lagos.
Sources
- artnews.com — “Sweden Returns Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, Human”
- phillytrib.com — “UK museum agrees to return looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria”
- artandobject.com — “London-based Museum to Fully Repatriate Benin Bronzes”
- artreview.com — “Can Digital Benin Reconnect Future Nigerians With Their”