France 'looted, smuggled' art from Nigeria

2000-11-23 20:18

Paris - Nigeria's ambassador to France, Edward Abiodun Aina, on Thursday denied any official agreement with France over the acquisition of ancient artefacts now on display at a Paris museum.

The diplomat, in an interview published in the Liberation daily here, said that as far as he was aware "there was no agreement by Nigeria authorising the acquisition of the Nok pieces".

Three statuettes from the Nok civilisation went on display earlier this year at the Louvre museum, where exhibits for a new museum of primitive art at Quai Branly are being temporarily housed.

Last week France's President Jacques Chirac came under fierce attack from a British expert at a UN conference on stolen art over the ancient statuettes bought recently for the new Paris museum.

Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, director of the McDonald Institute of Archaeological Research in Cambridge, accused Chirac of asking the Nigerian government to approve France's acquisition of the 2 000-year-old figures, which he said had been looted and then smuggled out of the country.

The Nigerian ambassador, asked about a document dated 7 February 2000 noting the acquisition of "three works representing the Nok and Sokoto cultures", said the document in question contained unusual deletions and other signs that it was not an officially sanctioned note.

"The state of Nigeria would never sign such a document," he said.

"I accompanied our president (Olusegun Obasanjo) during his trip to Paris in February. No agreement was signed in front of me.

"I will tell you one thing for sure; no piece came out of the country legally. And my country reaffirms the principle of the restitution of all works stolen from its culture," Abiodun Aina added.

Lord Renfrew, a figure of great authority in archaeological circles, made his allegations at last week's gathering at the UN's cultural organisation Unesco in Paris.

Asking for such ancient artefacts "is not an honourable request to be made by a head of state", he said then. "I regret that the president of Nigeria acceded to that request, but I criticise above all the head of state of France for making it," he added.

The Unesco conference was being held to review the working of a 30-year-old convention intended to stop the international trade in stolen and pillaged works of art.

The Quai Branly museum has issued a statement saying that it "protests vigorously against allegations that it intervened to have Nigeria legitimise purchases of Nok sculptures made in the illegal market".

In April director Stephane Martin conceded that the works could originally have been taken from an archaeological site, but said their purchase had been conducted legally and ratified by both governments.

According to Liberation the Louvre bought the works a year and a half ago and Nigerian authorities signed an accord ratifying the purchase on 7 February this year. - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA