Nigerian artist Emmanuel Great Okugun disrupted the British Museum by displaying a flag demanding reparations for stolen African artifacts. The rapper positioned himself before the Benin Bronzes collection, drawing attention to colonial theft. His Instagram post launched the hashtag #BringBackOurBronzes and directed followers to a Change.org petition calling for the repatriation of the artifacts. Okugun connects personally to the issue through his Esanland heritage, which links to the ancient Benin Kingdom. He described the bronzes as ancestral voices rather than museum pieces.
British forces seized thousands of artifacts during a 1897 raid on Benin City, dispersing them across Western museums. These sacred objects chronicle Edo civilization and remain central to Nigerian cultural identity. Germany and the Netherlands have started returning looted items, while Britain maintains its refusal to repatriate artifacts. The newly opened Edo Museum of West African Art stands ready to receive returned pieces. Okugun frames the campaign as a demand for respect rather than a request for charity.
British forces seized thousands of artifacts during a 1897 raid on Benin City, dispersing them across Western museums. These sacred objects chronicle Edo civilization and remain central to Nigerian cultural identity. Germany and the Netherlands have started returning looted items, while Britain maintains its refusal to repatriate artifacts. The newly opened Edo Museum of West African Art stands ready to receive returned pieces. Okugun frames the campaign as a demand for respect rather than a request for charity.
