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Germany and Nigeria are set to sign an agreement in Berlin on Friday that will pave the way for the return of Benin bronzes, an important sculpture brought from Africa in the late 19th century.
Governments and museums in Europe and North America are increasingly seeking to resolve disputes over ownership of objects looted during colonial times.
In 1897, a British colonial expedition stole bas-relief bronzes and a host of other treasures from the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Benin.
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees many of Berlin’s museums, announced last year that it had begun formal negotiations to return its collections.
Final details of the return have not been released, but the Prussian Heritage Foundation said it wanted to keep some of the bronzes borrowed from Nigeria.
Last year, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., pulled 10 Benin bronzes from its exhibition and pledged to ship them back to Nigeria. Other museums have also started discussions about returning the items.
Many items remain in the British Museum, which refuses to return them.
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