Cooperation agreement on cultural property with Nigeria

It is a great honor for me to be here today in Lagos, at the National Museum. It is a place of culture. A place dedicated to the preservation, study and transmission of Nigeria’s cultural heritage. Allow me first, on behalf of the Swiss Government, to express my sincere gratitude to the Nigerian authorities for their warm welcome and for the excellent cooperation that has made today’s important moment possible. My thanks go in particular to you Madam Minister, to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, and to all the Nigerian and Swiss teams who have worked with great commitment and trust in the preparation of this visit, the restitution and the signing of our bilateral agreement.

The moment we are marking today is very important. Today, cultural artefacts from the Kingdom of Benin have been officially returned to Nigeria. We have also signed a bilateral agreement between Switzerland and Nigeria on the import, export and return of cultural property. These two achievements are closely connected. They reflect the same conviction: the protection of cultural heritage requires respect, responsibility and international cooperation based on trust. Cultural artefacts are never merely objects. They carry history, memory and identity. They connect people with their past, with their communities and with future generations.

The artefacts returned today carry a painful history. Many of them left the Kingdom of Benin, their place of origin, as a result of violence, looting and deeply unequal power relations. Their presence in European collections raises important questions to which our societies must respond with seriousness and transparency. Today’s restitution cannot undo the injustices of the past. But it is a concrete and meaningful step. It acknowledges the importance of these cultural artefacts for Nigeria, for the communities concerned and for the memory of the Kingdom of Benin.

In Switzerland, this work has been carried out over the past years in particular through the Benin Initiative Switzerland (BIS). This initiative enabled several Swiss museums to work closely with Nigerian partners to better understand the history, provenance, meaning and function of these objects. Which is why I would like to seize the opportunity to express my gratitude to our museum partners for their dedication and their outstanding work. This process shows that provenance research is not only a scientific task. It is also a way to build trust, to acknowledge historical realities and to prepare responsible and ethical decisions.

Cultural heritage, a powerful way of building bridges between people

Switzerland is aware of its responsibility as an important museum and art-market country. Theft, looting and the illicit trafficking of cultural property are serious offences. They deprive people of part of their history and identity. They also endanger the cultural heritage of humanity. This is why Switzerland is firmly committed to acting against the illicit trafficking of cultural property and to strengthening international cooperation in this field.

The agreement we have signed today with Nigeria establishes clear foundations for our cooperation. It defines the conditions under which the import of cultural property is lawful. It sets out the procedures for the return of cultural property that has been illicitly imported. And it strengthens the exchange of information, expertise and good practices between our two countries. This agreement should also serve as a framework for dialogue and long-term cooperation.

I am convinced that today’s restitution and the signing of this agreement do not mark the end of a process. They mark the beginning of a closer partnership between Switzerland and Nigeria in the field of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage belongs to the history of the people. It is also a powerful way of building bridges between them. It is in this spirit that Switzerland will continue to strengthen its cooperation with Nigeria.