CONF: Restitution and Beyond – The Future of Benin’s Cultural Heritage (Museum Rietberg – 26 Oct 2024)

On the occasion of the current exhibitions on Benin at the Museum Rietberg and the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich, experts from Nigeria and Switzerland will discuss the future of Benin’s cultural heritage and opportunities for cooperation between Nigerian and Swiss museums at the Restitution Forum.

The starting point will be the methods and collaborative practices developed by the Benin Initiative Switzerland and their challenges and opportunities. The public event will focus on the conclusion of the Benin Initiative Switzerland as well as the discussion of the initiated processes of a possible transfer of ownership regarding the objects that were looted or most likely looted in 1897. The research results and the restitution process will be reflected upon and placed in a wider context of cooperation and restitution.

Among the international guests there will be Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria, and Prof. Bénédicte Savoy from TU Berlin. A panel discussion will round off contributions from individual speakers.

For additional information visit: https://rietberg.ch/kalender/638794

For the programme, visit: rietberg.ch/files/ausstellungen/2024/Im-Dialog-mit-Benin/MRZ_Forum-Restitution-and-Beyond_Programme.pdf