Jesus College is set to return a controversial bronze cockerel that was looted
from Africa in the 19th century, following a successful campaign from students
to reject the “spoils of war”.
The sculpture, known as the Benin bronze, was stolen by Victorian explorers
and has resided in Jesus College since 1905.
It was removed from public view in March 2016 after protests from students
that it celebrated a “colonial narrative”. The protests came fin the wake of
the "Rhodes Must Fall" campaign to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes, the
19th century colonialist, from Oxford's Oriel College.
For the past three years since removing the sculpture from public view,
university dons have been deliberating over whether to repatriate it to its
native Nigeria.
However today Jesus College confirmed that the sculpture will be returned
home.
The College said that there is no doubt that the statue was looted directly
from the Court of Benin as part of the punitive expedition of 1897 and given
to the College in 1905 by the father of a Jesus College student.
Sonita Alleyne was elected Master of Jesus College, a role which she took up in October
Almost 1,000 bronzes were taken after Benin City, in present-day Nigeria, was
occupied by imperial troops in 1897, according to the British Museum.
About 900 of those artefacts are housed in museums and collections around
the world, including the British Museum.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...rel-following/
a good idea?