FROM BENIN TO ZURICH – AND BACK AGAIN

In 1897, British troops attacked the Kingdom of Benin in what is now Nigeria. They deposed the king, burnt down the capital and looted thousands of royal artefacts from the palace. In Europe, the artefacts were introduced to the art market as ‘Benin Bronzes’. Fourteen of them also found their way into the collection of the University of Zurich’s Museum of Ethnology in 1940.

Provenance research into the Benin objects at the Museum of Ethnology led to the University returning them to Nigeria in June 2026. How did the research unfold? How was the decision to return them reached? And what are the consequences of this, for the museum, for Switzerland, and also for Nigeria?

An event in cooperation with the Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Zurich.

Guest
Alexis Malefakis, Curator of African Art at the Museum of Ethnology, University of Zurich

Chair/Moderator
Csongor Kozma, Director of the Paulus Academy

Contribution towards costs (including lunch and a drink)
CHF 30 / CHF 20*
* for members of the Paulus Academy and FKSZ Friends’ Association, with a KulturLegi, AHV/IV card or student ID

For organisational reasons, please register by Wednesday, 28 October 2026.