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Gbeminiyi Ogunleye
2 weeks ago
Overview
Nigeria, Switzerland commence talks on returning looted artefacts.
The Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has commenced talks with the Swiss Government on cultural cooperation and the repatriation of Nigerian artefacts currently housed in Swiss museums, including monoliths and bronze pieces.
During a courtesy visit to Musawa in Abuja on Friday, the Swiss Ambassador Patrick Egloff expressed Switzerland’s willingness to enter into bilateral agreements and cultural diplomacy.
“This is the first time that a Swiss ambassador is meeting with a Nigerian Minister of Art and Culture. There is a lot happening, and we would be very interested to build more institutional cooperations with the ministry, and we think this restitution would be a very good opportunity to strengthen institutional cooperation,” Egloff said.
The Ambassador stated that the process of returning the artefacts started three years ago, and they hope to hand over the bronze pieces through the Nigerian Embassy by the end of the year.
Responding, Musawa thanked the Swiss government for its efforts, emphasising the importance of retrieving the artefacts for Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
