Wednesday 30 January 2013

'France will return another seized-artefacts of Nigerian origin'

By Tajudeen Sowole
Aside the Nok statuettes returned to Nigeria by the French Embasy in Abuja yesterday, another set of artefacts of Nigerian origin  - also illegally exported to France – will be presented very soon, French Ambassador, Jacques Champagne De Labriolle has disclosed.

De Labriolle stated this much during the presentation of the Nok terracotta pieces seized in France in 2010. The artefacts were collected on behalf of Nigeria by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Nationall Orientation at Reiz Hotel, Abuja.  
"Let me announce that we will meet again in a few weeks from now, when we will return another statuette, which was seized by the French Customs in another development unrelated to the first one. This statuette is not a Nok terracotta statuette,' but a soapstone statuette of Esie origin," De Labriolle stated:
 

Earlier, he argued that the return was "made in accordance with international law, and within the framework of a French policy aiming at fighting illegal imports, and especially illegal imports of cultural goods." 
DG NCMM Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman,Minister of Tourism and Culture High Chief Edem Duke,French Ambassador Jacques Champagne De Labriolle during the return of the seized works.
  It was also explained that the statuettes were seized in France, by the French customs near Paris, in August 2010.
  The return was coming about six months after another set of Nok terracotta pieces of Nigerian origin were intercepted by the Home Security Investigation (HSI) of U.S. Although the seized works in U.S. were yet to be returned to Nigeria, it is believed that "technically, we are in repossession since the works are already in custody of Nigeria Consulate in U.S"


The Honourable Minister High Chief Edem Duke
traced the collaboration between Nigeria and France to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the prohibition of illicit trade in Cultural property and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on stolen and illegally exported cultural objects.

"Nigeria and France have collaborated under the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the prohibition of illicit trade in Cultural property and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on stolen and illegally exported cultural objects over the years," Duke stated. He argued "that the return of these Nok pieces is yet another attestation to the collaboration between Nigeria and France in Cultural and Heritage matters spanning over several decades." 

The Director-General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman traced the history of most of Nigerian artefcats illegally acquired abroad. 
"There were two waves of collection of Nigerian Artifacts. The first wave was during colonial period first by invading forces of imperial Britain such as the Benin Punitive Expedition of 1897 and later by western anthropologists who carried out field work in various parts of the country.  The second wave of collection was in the 1960s and 1970s when the civil war provoked large exodus of our artefacts through our borders with neighbouring countries."
  Usman described the current returned  artefacts as the "third wave" of looted objects, "The flight was from Togo.  In all likelihood therefore these artifacts left this country in recent times.
This brings us to the 3rd wave of exodus of Nigeria artifacts which is the illegal excavation and looting of heritage, archaeological sites and museums by unscrupulous Nigerians and their foreign collaborators."
 On the current effort of the NCMM to stop further illegal movement of Nigerian artefacts, Usman disclosed that "at the onset of the present management of the NCMM under my humble leadership, the issue of looting of archaeological sites by illegal diggers reduced due to the use of a multi-pronged approach.  Within the last three years the Commission has embarked on several sensitization programme involving law enforcement agencies, media, local communities and traditional rulers at Abuja and Kaduna and also in the rural areas especially at Nok and Janjala."

Recalling the seizure three years ago, De Labriolle   said "they were found in the personal luggage of a traveller coming back from Africa. It was quickly established that these art works had been illegally taken away from Nigerian territory. 

"At the time of the seizure, nobody knew where the statuettes exactly came from. They were later analysed by several French experts, coming from a famous French museum (Musee du Quai  Branly), from the French Museums Directorate of the Ministry of Culture, and from the Research and Restoration Laboratory of the also famous Louvre Museum. These experts were eventually able to determine their origin. 

The artefacts are estimated to be as old as between 1400 BC and 700 BC or 3000 years old. 
  
De Labriolle noted that under the French policy against illegal importation of artefacts, "the French Customs and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs have worked together so that the seized items be returned to Nigeria, as the country of origin of the seized goods." this he stressed, was  aimed at reinforcing the cooperation with the country of origin in the common fight against trafficking."

1 comment:

  1. WHAT WE UNDERSTAND BY “RESTITUTION”

    "Short of giving details of the anticipated repossession of Nigerian artefacts from France, Usman insisted that diplomacy remained the "best and only option for now and we would change our strategy if it’s not working."

    Is Nigeria's approach to restitution of cultural artefacts really working?
    We are all pleased that the French, just like the US Americans are returning Nigerian looted artefacts that have been intercepted by the police or customs whilst in transit or at arrival at port of destination. This is the result of normal collaboration between customs/police institutions of France/USA and those of Nigeria. They are not the result of efforts by cultural institutions seeking the return of looted items, as far as we know. These are the results of investigation of criminal activities pursued by the customs/police institutions.

    When we talk about restitution of cultural artefacts, we are referring to those cultural objects, like the Benin artefacts in British Museum, Ethnology Museum, Berlin, Ethnology Museum, Vienna, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and other museums. These artefacts, like the Nok sculptures and other Nigerian objects in Musée du Quai Branly, and other museums or private collections, are already located in definite places and the museums there feel they have a right to keep them despite frequent demands for their restitution. Although many of these objects are looted objects, they are not objects of customs/police seizures. They are often identifiable by name such as Queen-Mother Idia or Akenzua II because they are known to both holders and demanders as specific objects. They are not anonymous as many of the customs/police seizures are. The French Ambassador stated at the recent return of the Nok objects to Nigeria;

    "At the time of the seizure, nobody knew where the statuettes exactly came from. They were later analysed by several French experts, coming from a famous French museum (Musee du Quai Branly), from the French Museums Directorate of the Ministry of Culture, and from the Research and Restoration Laboratory of the also famous Louvre Museum. These experts were eventually able to determine their origin.”

    Usually, the objects of restitution discussion between institutions are of a much better quality than many that are seized in transit between two countries nut this is not an absolute rule. What is important to retain is that in restitution, the object is not on its way to another place, not in transition but has a definite location, such as the 584 Benin bronzes in the Ethnology Museum, Berlin or the 167 Benin artefacts in Vienna. They are not going anywhere because the holders believe they have a right to keep them and they have said so loudly and often.
    The holders consider that these artefacts are theirs by right.
    Sometimes the illegal holders of these artefacts present them as if they had created them. Thus the Germans who are keeping the Egyptian Queen, Nefertiti in Neues Museum in Berlin call her “Berlinerin” (a woman from Berlin).

    The great Ekpo Eyo in his, From Shrines to Showcases: Masterpieces of Nigerian Art, (2010, Federal Ministry of Information and Communication, Abuja) mentions many Nigerian works that are outside the country. The catalogues of various exhibitions, involving collaboration by Nigerian institutions mention many
    excellent pieces.

    When some of the famous Nigerian artworks abroad start returning home, when the looted Benin bronzes start coming home from the British Museum ,or from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston or from the Ethnology Museum, Berlin, we would know that restitution of looted Nigerian artefacts has begun. And we shall dance, dance and dance.



    Kwame Opoku, 8 February 2013.

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