Traditional Institutions and Cultural Heritage Law
The Case of Benin Bronzes
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8977567 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L Amede Obiora (0000-0003-3620-1704, University of Arizona, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 66 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of African History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-8537 • E-ISSN: 1469-5138 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0021853725100625 |
| OpenAlex | W4415169574 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
On 27 October 2021, Cambridge University’s Jesus College commemorated the historic return to Nigeria of the bronze statue of a cockerel called “Okukur.” This was looted from the ancient Kingdom of Benin in 1897 by British colonizers. The college resolved to relinquish ownership to the Oba , who is the cultural, religious, and legal head of Benin. On 23 March 2023, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari decreed that the “ownership of the artefacts... is vested in the Oba.” The genesis of this order was controversies about the ownership, control, and management of returning objects. This article analyzes the role of the traditional institution of governance in the socio-legal politics of cultural heritage restitution in Nigeria. Building on the traditional leadership’s claims on the returned artworks, it explains the need to use the momentum of restitution to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the national and international legal systems to protect cultural heritage
Cultural heritage · Cultural heritage management · Cultural institution · Institution · Politics · Restitution · Statue · Archaeological Research and Protection · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Cultural Identity and Heritage
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |