Now returned items are were previously long part of the permanent collections of five German museums. The return shows “a willingness to critically assess one’s own actions” and an openness to the concerns of those who are were victims of colonial atrocities, the German foreign minister said at the ceremony.

Germany “ignored for too long” Nigeria’s claim“We learned from you: What we give you back is part of your history, part of who you are,” the German minister also addressed the people of Nigeria and admitted that Germany “for a long time ignored Nigeria’s request to return them”.

“It was wrong to take them away and wrong to keep them,” said the German Foreign Minister. “This is the history of European colonialism. This is the history in which our country played a dark role and caused a lot of suffering in different parts of Africa,” she also said Annalena Baerbock.

The German culture minister spoke of a “historic moment” that connects not only the two countries but also the continent and is the fruit of respect, interest and desire to learn from each other. “We want to learn something from confronting colonial history and take responsibility,” Claudia Roth said.

This first concrete step should not “to cover up the shame that Nigeria’s desire to return the artworks has been ignored or denied for decades”. Germany closed its eyes for too long “before the injustice that remained associated with these bronze works of art that are were so long exhibited in our museums or saved in depots”the German Minister of Culture said, adding that it is a turning point in international cultural policy and a prelude to the further return of stolen works of art.

Already at today’s meeting with my Nigerian colleague Geoffrey Onyeamo is Annalena Baerbock termed the return of the first 20 precious Benin bronze artefacts to Nigeria as a long overdue step.

“Stealing these bronze statues was a mistake. It was not right to keep these bronze statues. It is more than high time that the bronze statues returned to their homeland,” she said after meeting her Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeamo in the capital Abuja.

The bronze statues have now finally “returned to where they belong, that is, to Nigeria,” she added Baerbock. According to her, this is especially important for the people of Nigeria, “because they are not only works of art, not only cultural heritage, but also part of identity”.

Just the first step“With the return of the bronze statues, Germany also faces one of its darkest times chaptersnamely with its colonial past”said the head of German diplomacy and expressed her belief that until will be the return opened a new chapter in the further deepening of cultural cooperation between the two countries.

The Nigerian minister talked about the first step and said yes will be followed by several bronze statuettes. “Many, many bronze statuettes were stolen. Therefore, many bronze statuettes will also be returned,” he added.

In approximately 20 German museums, there have so far been more than 1100 works of art from the palace of the then kingdom of Benin, which today belongs to Nigeria. Objects made of ivory and other materials in addition to bronze are mostly were from Africa carried away in the context of 1897.