Netherlands has become the latest European country to return artefacts to Africa after it signed an agreement pledging to return 119 'stolen' historical artefacts to Nigeria after extensive consultation with its Colonial collections committee.
The Netherlands has signed a deal with Nigeria pledging to return at least 119 bronze artefacts looted from Nigeria in the 19th Century.
The collection includes 113 bronzes that are part of the Dutch State Collection while the remainder will be returned by the Municipality of Rotterdam.
They were part of thousands of bronzes stolen from the then Benin Kingdom, which is present-day Edo state in Southwestern, Nigeria when it was attacked by British forces in 1897.
According to a statement released by Wereldmuseum Leiden where some of the pieces are on display, these objects were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin by British soldiers in 1897 and eventually ended up in the Dutch National Collection through trade.
Present at the signing were the Nigerian Director General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments Olugbile Holloway and the Dutch Minister for Education, Culture and Science, Eppo Bruins.
Bruins reacting at the signing said Heritage is essential for telling and experiencing the history of a country and community. The Benin Bronzes are therefore indispensable for Nigeria, it is good that they are going back.” while Olugbile Holloway was quoted as saying this would represent the single largest return of the ancient antiquities.
The return of ancient artefacts to Nigeria began in 2022, with Germany returning over 20 bronzes in a bid to deal with its “dark colonial history”.
This move may pressure other institutions to return the artefacts especially the British Museum which houses over 900 pieces of benin bronze.
A Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region has damaged an oil depot belonging to Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, and left fo...
During President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Washington, officials from Azerbaijan and the United States discussed expanding economic collaboration and ...
President Ilham Aliyev’s meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be held at the White House today...
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated in an interview published on Friday that he has no intention of seeking another term in office and di...
Nikol Pashinyan and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff discussed strengthening Armenia-U.S. strategic relations ahead of planned trilateral meetings at the Whit...
The Netherlands has become the first NATO member to contribute to a new U.S.-backed initiative to arm Ukraine, pledging €500 million to purchase American weapons as U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker says more allies are expected to follow in the coming weeks.
The Netherlands has become the first NATO member to commit funds under a new military financing plan for Ukraine, pledging €500 million (around $578 million) to support Kyiv’s defence needs.
The German and Dutch intelligence services have warned that Russia is increasing the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, which is 'serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention prohibiting the use of this chemical choking agent under any circumstances.'
The Netherlands will deliver a 100 drone-detection radars and 20 medical evacuation vehicles to Ukraine under a new €175 million ($202 million) military aid package, boosting its ongoing support for Kyiv ahead of the NATO summit this week.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
Chinese automaker Chery has denied an industry-ministry audit that disqualified more than $53 million in state incentives for thousands of its electric and hybrid vehicles, insisting it followed official guidance and committed no fraud.
A rare first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 'The Hobbit' has sold for £43,000 at a UK auction after being discovered in a Bristol home.
OpenAI’s GPT-5 model is nearing release, with early testers praising its coding and problem-solving skills, though experts say the leap from GPT-4 may be smaller than previous upgrades.
The Princess of Wales has launched a series of animated films on YouTube aimed at supporting children's emotional and social development. The project, developed by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, is designed for use by charities, families, and early years education professionals.
Two Zara advertisements have been banned in the UK after regulators ruled they promoted an irresponsible body image by featuring models who appeared excessively thin, according to Euronews.
Remember when the metaverse was going to change everything? In 2021, tech giants raced to build virtual worlds, and Facebook even changed its name to 'Meta.' Now, in 2025, the headlines have gone silent. What happened to the metaverse, and is there still a future for it?
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment