West African artworks in Europe to be returned to their countries origin

The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, has said that France will return to Benin Republic 26 artworks taken from it in the colonial era. President Macron said the statues would be returned "without delay".

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He made the announcement following an experts' report recommending that African treasures and artifacts in French museums be returned to their countries of origin. His office said the return of art to Benin should not be an isolated case. According to a statement by the Elysee palace, the president "hopes that all possible circulation of these works is considered: returns but also exhibitions, loans, further cooperation".

The 26 thrones and statues were taken in 1892 during a colonial war against the then Kingdom of Dahomey, and are currently on display in the Quai Branly museum in Paris.

A panel of experts, commissioned by the president to study the issue of African artworks in French museums, presented their findings to him on Friday.

Benin Republic officially asked for their return some years ago. During colonial rule in Africa, thousands of cultural artefacts were seized from the continent by Western countries.

The official report states that most of the Africa collection in the Quai Branly museum - approximately 46,000 pieces - was acquired with some degree of duress.

France's announcement comes as major museums across Europe have agreed to lend key artefacts back to Nigeria.

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In the other news, the Kingdom of Benin, a bini tribe in Nigeria, recently asked Prince Charles during his recent visit to Nigeria to return the cultural artworks that Britain carted away from the Bini kingdom during the former's invasion of the latter in the 1890's.