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Germany and Nigeria are set to venture into an agreement to pave way for the return of centuries-old sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa in the 19th century and displayed in German museums and elsewhere.Governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects looted during colonial times. A British colonial expedition stole the bas-relief Bronzes along with many other treasures in 1897 from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what's now southern Nigeria. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, an authority that oversees many of...

The Benin Bronzes Consist of Thousands of Metal Sculptures and Plaques Which Adorned the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Benin, Presently Located in Edo State, Nigeria...Although the collection is commonly referred to as the Benin Bronzes, the pieces are predominantly crafted from brass of varying compositions using the lost-wax casting method, a process by which a duplicate sculpture is cast from an original sculpture.Edo artisans used manillas, meaning bracelet, as a metal source for making the Benin Bronzes. Manillas were also used as decorative objects and currency across parts of Western Africa.In a new study published in the journal,...

...When on December 20th German foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock headed a large delegation to Abuja, she handed over a second small batch of the 1,130 pieces her country's five leading museums gifted to Nigeria in 2022... Little did she (one hopes) or the German public suspect what Buhari and the NCMM would do, just three months later. Gifting the restitutions to the Oba, who is bound to no enforceable curatorial standards, is controversial in the West; not least because of the campaign by black Americans who descend from slaves, and who demand that the artworks stay safe in the museums...

Lawyer David Manilla to be charged in death of hunter Barry Groh - READ AFFIDAVIT Lawyer David Manilla is being charged today with involuntary manslaughter in the hunter's Nov. 29 death. He is due in court this afternoon on charges he killed 52-year-old Barry Groh, of Quakertown. Bucks County prosecutors say Manilla led police to the body, but never mentioned shooting a high-powered rifle. Rifles are outlawed for hunting in Bucks County. Authorities also say Manilla was barred from possessing weapons because of his record, which includes felony assault and a 1994 hunting accident.     *    ...

MANILA, Philippines -- A Catholic priest from Sorsogon was formally excommunicated by the Church for breaking the “seal of confession.” In a decree dated September 21, 2007, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon declared the penalty of “latae sententiae excommunication” against Father Alejandre V. Galias.Excommunication means the exclusion of a Catholic from the community of the Church for misconduct.Galias is now prohibited from celebrating and attending masses, and is barred from receiving any of the sacraments. Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes was quoted in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website as saying that Galias had violated the Church...

A Muslim lawmaker on Monday night raged at a catering crewmember of a Chinese restaurant for serving her food with pork. Rep. Faysah Dumarpa of Lanao del Sur reportedly slapped the crewmember, Virginia Fernando Altamirano, and held a bread knife at her. Altamirano, 36, has filed a complaint against Dumarpa with the Quezon City police. “It is forbidden in Islam for a believer to eat pork or its derivatives. To do so is a grievous sin. An intentional consumption of such meat would hinder me from gaining entrance to paradise. Beyond dietary concerns, this is a matter of faith,” Dumarpa...

JAPAN'S ambassador to the Philippines today apologized to the nation for the destruction of Manila towards the closing stages of the World War II. Ryuichiro Yamazaki spoke at a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 61st anniversary of the Battle for Manila that left over 100,000 Filipinos dead and destroyed the city once known as the Pearl of the Orient. "The terror that each Filipino man, woman and child must have experienced in Manila 61 years ago is beyond the imagination of any sane human being," he said at a memorial to the dead in the Intramuros part of the city....