In the great race to return artefacts to Africa, the Netherlands have just got back into the game with a sensational return of Benin objects to Nigeria.
In a previous article, we have already elaborated on the causes of this English military campaign. We also pointed out the non-existence of an acquisition policy for Nigeria, a country with a significant number of millionaires and billionaires, for heritage objects from the Kingdom of Benin that have been put up for sale for several decades.
We would also point out that the seizure of objects by the British did not contravene any laws at the time relating to the customs of war, whether European or Beninese.
Moreover, this military campaign took place in 1897, and it was not until 1899 that the Hague Convention established the first international legal basis for dealing with looting in the event of conflict.
It should be noted that the Netherlands practises double standards when it comes to restitution, as the Dutch treat of the theft of an ancient altarpiece by Pasquier Borman from the church of Saint Géry in Boussu (Belgium) in 1914 shows. It ended up in Museum Boymans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.
It was not until 2019 that things started to move, and this development did not initially come from the competent Dutch authorities, but from the action of the Belgian police, who seized the altarpiece elements that were then on loan to the M Museum in Leuven (Belgium) for the Borman & fils exhibition.
Let’s close the Boussu parenthesis and return to the Benin artefacts. In fact, what we find most interesting in this case is the media hype surrounding it.
Numerous newspapers, both Dutch and foreign, have praised the generosity of the Netherlands towards Nigeria. However, journalists have not also taken an interest in the statement made by another Dutch minister, who stated that, from 2027, the government would cut 2.4 billion euros from the 6.2 billion euros earmarked annually for development aid.
