National Geographic Traveller (UK)

WHY THE BENIN BRONZES ARE BEING RETURNED

Originally cast in what’s now southwest Nigeria, the Benin Bronzes have been languishing in around 150 museums in Europe and the US for almost 125 years.

Increasingly, however, heritage experts are calling for them to be returned. With London’s Horniman Museum having announced in August that it will return its 72 bronzes to Nigeria, calls for further repatriations are set to grow.

Come 2026, these treasures will

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