THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
A few number of activists turned out on a cold and raining Saturday in Berlin for a public demonstration for the return to Nigeria of Benin artworks in German museums.
Even though hundreds of protesters were expected to participate in the action, the low turnout did not dampen the enthusiasm of the activists.
They say the demonstration, which was held in front of the Bode-Museum in the central district of the German capital city, had made its point that it’s wrong to continue to hold on to the artworks, which were taken from Benin without permission of the owners during the colonial era.
The exhibition Beyond Compare: Art from Africa is presently showing in the Bode-Museum until June 2019. “The exhibition addresses major themes of human experience, such as power and death, beauty and identity, justice and memory”. Eighty major works of African sculpture are currently on display to contrast art from Italy and central Europe.
British forces raided and destroyed Benin City in today’s Nigeria about 120 years ago. They looted thousands of invaluable works of art from the burnt royal palace and sold it to Western museums and private art collectors. After London, Berlin has the second largest collection of the priceless artefacts, many of which have never been shown to the public.
Organised by Decolonize and ISD Bund e.V. (Initiative of Black People in Germany), the protesters called on the German government to cause the artworks to be returned to the rightful owners.
Organizers “demand the restitution of all African art whose acquisition cannot be proved to have been fair and legal”. Similar actions have taken place in London and Paris in the past.
Femi Awoniyi
