Looted Benin Relics Displayed in France Ahead of Historic Return

President Emmanuel Macron of France has confirmed the return to Benin of 26 works of art, stolen by French troops from the royal treasure-house of Abomey in 1892, in a move that could pave the way for the restitution of other works held by European museums.

Before their planned return, the works from the former Kingdom of Dahomey (located within present-day Benin) are on display in a special exhibition in Paris from October 26-31.

The Benin Bronzes are a group of more than a thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin. Most of them were looted by British forces during the Benin Expedition of 1897. Most European former colonial powers have begun a process in recent years of considering the return of looted artifacts to the former colonies, especially in Africa.

Meanwhile, Britain returned to Nigeria a statue of a bronze cockerel looted from the Kingdom of Benin, now Nigeria's Edo State, during the colonial era. 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.

This article originally appeared on allAfrica

Photo: Flickr