Jesus College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, is poised to make history later this month by becoming the first British institution to formally return one of the highly contested Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. The college will hand over a bronze sculpture of a cockerel, an artefact known as 'Okukor', to Nigerian delegates in a ceremony scheduled for 27 October.
This significant repatriation follows a unanimous decision by the college's council in 2019, which accepted the recommendation of its Legacy of Slavery Working Party. The working party had concluded that the cockerel, which had been removed from display in 2016, belonged in Nigeria due to its provenance as a looted artefact from the 1897 British punitive expedition to Benin City.
The return of the 'Okukor' is being hailed by Nigerian officials as a momentous occasion, offering a beacon of hope for the broader restitution of thousands of similar artefacts held in museums and private collections across the UK and Europe. The historical context of these bronzes is deeply rooted in the violent colonial past, with British forces seizing an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 artefacts during the raid on the Kingdom of Benin, now part of modern-day Nigeria.
The move by Jesus College could exert considerable pressure on other prominent British institutions, including the British Museum, which holds a vast collection of Benin Bronzes, to reconsider their own positions on repatriation. While some institutions have engaged in discussions or long-term loan agreements, an outright return of a significant piece sets a new precedent for restitution.
The debate surrounding the ownership of colonial-era artefacts has intensified in recent years, driven by a global reckoning with historical injustices and a growing demand from source countries for the return of their cultural heritage. This action by Jesus College represents a tangible step towards addressing these historical wrongs and fostering a more equitable relationship between former colonial powers and their former colonies.