On 27 June 2025, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston returned a bronze relief plaque and a commemorative head, both part of the storied Benin Bronzes, to Nigeria’s Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy.
Gift Davies argues that this repatriation marks a tangible step in the country’s ongoing efforts to recover artefacts taken during the 1897 invasion of the Benin Kingdom.
The return of these two bronzes from Boston may be modest in scale, but it underscores the growing expectation that more museums will follow suit, and it reinforces Nigeria’s ongoing push to recover its scattered cultural property.
Beyond diplomacy and policy, it is also a reminder that art carries stories, stories of resilience, identity, and the right to remember. As more artefacts find their way home, Nigeria moves closer to reclaiming the tangible heritage of the Benin Kingdom, one at a time.
