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Berlin Museums to begin repatriation of artefacts looted from Nigeria

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Public museums in Berlin, Germany, are to begin the repatriation of hundreds of prized Bronze artefacts which were looted from Nigeria’s Benin Kingdom during the colonial era.

The agreement was reached on Thursday by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the body in charge of public museums after finalizing an agreement with the Nigerian government on the return of the objects that were stolen when most of the country was under colonial rule.

The move follows a similar one early this month when the Horniman Museum in the United Kingdom entered into an agreement with Nigeria to repatriate artefacts looted by British soldiers from the Benin Kingdom during an invasion in the late 19th century.

The Horniman Museum and Gardens in southeast London had agreed to transfer a collection of 72 pieces of prized Benin Bronzes to the Nigerian government

The British expeditionary forces had, in 1897, went on a looting spree as they stole hundreds of valuable artefacts from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now including numerous hand made crafts and sculptures dating as far back as the 16th century.

Most of the items were later sold or given to collections around the world, with more than 500 ending up in Berlin’s Ethnological Museum.

Last year, the French government had also entered into an agreement with Nigeria to return treasured artefacts called the Abomey Treasures to Benin as part of a wider effort to make amends for colonial wrongs.

After a series of negotiations with rjd Nigerian government spearheaded by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, the
German government signed a preliminary agreement in July and the repatriation of the items will begin before the end of the year.

As part of the agreement finalized with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, about a third of the artefacts will remain on loan in Berlin for 10 years before they are fully returned.

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Culture

DRC authorities arrest six over break-in at Lumumba’s Mausoleum

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Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say six people have been arrested over a break-in and vandalism at the mausoleum of the country’s assassinated independence leader, Patrice Lumumba, in Kinshasa, the country’s capital.

The police had announced the six arrests late Wednesday and said they were still looking for two more suspects.

Interior Minister, Jacquemin Shabani, said in a statement that during the break-in which occurred on Monday, a case containing a single gold-capped tooth, the only part of the former leader that remained after his assassination, was broken by the vandals.

“We assure that the relic is secure and it is protected,” the minister said, without offering more information.

The return of Lumumba’s tooth from former colonizer Belgium in 2022 had been celebrated around Congo, with the tooth taken around the vast country so people could pay their respects.

Lumumba is widely hailed as the nationalist activist who helped end colonial rule in the DRC and went on to become the country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was assassinated within a year in 1961.

His body was dismembered and dissolved with acid in an apparent effort to keep any grave from becoming a pilgrimage site.

For many in Congo, Lumumba is a symbol of the positive developments the country could have achieved after its independence but instead, it became mired in decades of dictatorship that drained its vast mineral riches.

A military coup toppled Lumumba, who was arrested, jailed and later killed. His assassination, blamed on separatists, cleared the way for the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country he later renamed Zaire for decades with support from Western powers until his death in 1997.

His one remaining tooth was kept by the Belgian police commissioner who oversaw the destruction of his body.

The tooth was returned to Congo after the visit of Belgium’s King Philippe, who expressed regrets for his nation’s abuses in Congo when it was a Belgian colony.

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Culture

Miss SA opens up on why she withdrew from Miss Universe pageant

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Reigning Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux, has opened up on the reasons behind her withdrawal from the Miss Universe pageant which was held in Mexico, where Nigeria’s Chidinma Adetshina was the first runner-up.

While narrating her experience in a video she shared on social media on Wednesday, le Roux said her body was taking so much physical strain.

“Hello everyone, I’m back in South Africa and wanted to reach out to you all. Thank you so much for all of your kind wishes, your support and prayers,” she said in the video.

“I wanted to be transparent with you and share my story. A lot of you would’ve seen the video that I made about vertigo, while I was in Mexico at Miss Universe.

“Vertigo is a condition where it feels like you are dizzy and there’s a sense of the world spinning around you. It’s very intense and can cause major issues with your imbalance.

“Mentally I was very strong, I was ready, but physically, my body was taking strain. I had to even seek medical help in Mexico City. And even after the medical help, my condition still wasn’t improving.”

She added that during the preliminary rounds of Miss Universe, she had continued to push herself but her vertigo intensified and it became unmanageable.

She stated that while she was waiting backstage, she fell repeatedly and couldn’t stand up without support and was not in a position to safely walk on stage.

“It was not easy. As I was not doing it just for myself but for all of you in South Africa,” she said.

“I will continue to serve as your Miss South Africa, to support and uplift those who come after me. With my unbreakable spirit and an exciting year ahead, I will keep fighting for myself and for everyone with dreams and passions. I am so proud to still be your Miss South Africa,” she added.

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