Artefacts: Benin Monarch’s Representatives, Others To Attend Arts Exhibition In Germany

The famous Humboldt Forum, a museum of art and culture, will play host to arts collectors, enthusiasts, and researchers across the globe at the second opening of Humboldt Forum in Berlin, Germany.

The museum housed non-European collections including thousands of artefacts looted from the palace of Benin Kingdom during the 1897 invasion, which will be on display at the celebration and commissioning of the last part of opening of Humboldt Forum.

It was learnt that the Benin monarch’s representatives are to be led by his brother, His Royal Highness, Prince Aghatise Erediuwa.

According to the invitation letter made available to LEADERSHIP on the event and jointly endorsed by Prof. Dr Hartmut Dorgerloh, General Director Humboldt and Prof. Dr. Lars–Christian Koch, Director Ethnological Museum, the event, which is expected to take place on September 16, 2022, will also host friends, partners and colleagues.

The delegation of German ethnological museum led by Prof Christian Koch had in April 2022, interacted with the Benin monarch on the planned return and restitution of historic Benin artefacts.

Mr Solomon Okuduwa, who provided technical support, had led the German ethnologists to the historic Igun streets where they also met with the association of Bronze casters.

The Forum located in the heart of Berlin is a hub of exhibitions which attract researchers and arts lovers and aims to be the cultural destination compared with the London museum.

The museum had announced plans to pursue conversations with Nigerian officials regarding the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes in its collections and pledged to repatriate them.