Cambridge University college returns looted ‘Okukor’, Bronze Statue to Nigeria
1 min read
During the colonial era in the African continent, the colonial masters looted/seized some religious artefacts to Europe and kept them in their museums. some of these artefacts were given to institutions like Universities.
According to BBC News, “The statue, known as the “Okukur”, was taken by British colonial forces in 1897 and given to Jesus College in 1905 by the father of a student.” As reported by BBC, Sonita Alleyne, master of Jesus College. remarked that the bronze piece was of “cultural and spiritual significance to the people of Nigeria..It’s part of their ancestral heritage,”
The Return of the Benin Bronze statue is of great significance as most or all of these statues which were stolen from Africa during colonisation existed for religious purposes. The Africans have been agitating for their stolen cultural artefact to be returned to their countries. In Cameroon for example, the people of Nso tribe in the North West Region are advocating for the return of NGONSO which was taken by Germany during the colonial period.
Read details HERE-BBC
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
