Restitution of Heritage: Germany Shares Its Experience with Benin

Beninese and German specialists gathered in Cotonou on October 13, 2026, to discuss organizing the restitution of colonial-era cultural artifacts and strengthening museum cooperation. German ambassador Stefan Buchwald outlined Germany's procedures and mechanisms for supporting these restitutions, emphasizing the importance of provenance research, which is resource-intensive. Barbara Plankensteiner, director of Hamburg's MARKK Museum, shared Germany's experience in this field. Germany acknowledges its colonial past and has incorporated these efforts into a coalition agreement since 2018, with concrete restitutions such as the transfer of 22 Benin bronzes to Nigeria in 2022.