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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

African men run away from single mothers— Joselyn Dumas

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Veteran Ghanaian actress and media personality, Joselyn Dumas, has lamented the fact that most African men shy away from getting married to single mothers due to the added responsibilities they will be saddled with.

The actress who made the assertion in her recent podcast, “Keeping it Real with Joselyn Dumas, The Perfect Picture”, opened up on the challenges of many single mothers who are struggling to find a partner because of societal biases.

In the podcast, Dumas who shared a personal story of a male friend whom she said refused to settle down with a lady because she had a child.

According to her, the friend named Anthony, firmly stated that it wasn’t his thing to be with a ‘born one’ or ‘born two’.

“He said B1, B2, I’m not in and I said to myself, ‘this is the reason why a lot of single mothers are single with their children.

“Now his reason was, why am I going to raise somebody’s child? That’s not my bloodline. He doesn’t have my DNA in him. Why am I now going to help someone’s bloodline grow? What about mine?” she said.

Dumas who is a single mother, noted that Anthony’s mindset is a “reflection of the views of a larger majority of people who don’t want to have meaningful relationship with single mothers.”

She also criticised what she termed as the double standard in society’s views on raising non-biological children, arguing that it should not be seen differently from adoption.

“I have a child but these men won’t even ask you, they don’t even care why you have a child. You’ve had seven miscarriages when you got married. You meet a guy, you were dating and you got pregnant, are you going to abort the baby because you aren’t married?

“He doesn’t want the child, are you going to throw the child away? No! You can raise the child. It takes a village to raise the child, so even if you don’t have a job, you will get support. This is part of the sacrifice you have to make regardless of what has happened,” she said.

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Namibia govt condemns tourists posing naked on Big Daddy Dune

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The Namibian authorities have frowned at tourists who posed naked at the Big Daddy Dune, the country’s top tourist attraction located in the Namibian desert.

Reports in the country’s media say locals were shocked to sight the tourists posing naked on the Dune during a safari and have demanded for action against them from authorities.

According to local media, actions that could be taken against the tourists include being blacklisted from entering any of Namibia’s parks.

A spokesperson from the country’s Tourism Ministry told local media that photos and a video from of the naked tourists have been widely shared, sparking sharp reactions.

Vice Chairperson of the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations, Kenneth Nependa, who condemned the act, told journalists that the behaviour risked attracting tourists “who think anything goes in Namibia.”

“It is very sickening and it really creates a bad image for Namibia,” Nependa said, adding that the Big Daddy Dune was not just a relaxing place for tourists but for families too.

Though it is not clear who took the photos and the video of the three male tourists who were seen stark naked in the sandy dune, next to their clothes, authorities say a stern action will be taken against them.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Romeo Muyunda, described the behaviour as “extremely shocking,” saying it was public indecency punishable by Namibian law.

“We appeal to that section of tourists to summon the conscience so that they do the right things,” Muyunda said.

He appealed to Namibians to report violations of park regulations immediately for swift action.

The Big Daddy dune is one of the three largest dunes in Namibia’s enormous Namib-Naukluft National Park, one of the largest in the world and are popular with tourists who hike to the top to have a stunning view across the crests.

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