Mexican Government Returns Stolen Sculpture Back To Nigeria!
A Nigerian sculpture, from the 6th-century Ile-Ife, which was smuggled out of the country has recently been returned to Nigeria.
The sculpture shows a man wearing woven pants and a hat, sitting with his legs crossed and holding an instrument.
Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History determined that it was a piece of Yoruba origin. It was also determined that it had been illegally exported.
According to the Government of Mexico’s official website, the customs authorities of the International Airport of Mexico City detected it when its buyer tried to smuggle it into the country.
Mexico’s Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs; Julián Ventura Valero says, “We oppose the illegal commercialization of archaeological pieces, an important cause of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the nations of origin since it undermines the integrity of cultures and, therefore, of humanity.”
Several bronze artefacts ranging from a 19th-century cockerel from Benin City to an 18th-century Ethiopian crown have since been returned to their respective countries over the past few years. Often the result of looting during the colonial era, the governments of these African countries are now rightly demanding that these stolen pieces of significant cultural history be permanently returned to them and not offered on “long-term loans” as has often been the case.
However, thousands more of these invaluable artefacts from many African countries remain housed in museums across Europe.