National Museum of Finland returned a royal kataklè to the Republic of Benin
A dignified ceremony was held on Tuesday 13 May in Cotonou, the capital of Benin, where the National Museum of Finland returned a wooden three-legged royal ceremonial seat to Benin. The significance of the occasion is increased by the fact that the kataklè seat is one of 27 objects, the others of which were returned to Benin by France in 2021.
The event in Benin was attended by Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie, Director General of the National Museum of Finland Elina Anttila and Senior Researcher Pilvi Vainonen. The ceremony has also been accompanied by bilateral discussions and a visit by a Finnish business delegation.
"The return of the kataklè was brought to a solemn conclusion in excellent cooperation with the Beninese authorities. The great importance of repatriation became very clear during the process," says Elina Anttila, Director General of the National Museum of Finland. After the ceremony, Anttila met with the President of the Republic of Benin, Patrice Talon.
On Tuesday afternoon, Anttila and Vainonen gave presentations at a seminar held at the Sèmè City Development Agency, where the audience will be students and the research community. The theme of the seminar is provenance research and circulation of looted cultural property: issues and challenges for cultural public policies in Africa.
Cultural heritage at the heart of national identity and diplomacy
The return of Kataklè to Benin is the fourth internationally significant repatriation of cultural heritage carried out by the National Museum of Finland in recent years. The ownership of cultural heritage and its return to the descendants of the original owners, either concretely, digitally or in some other way, is one of the most topical issues in the international museum field.
Tangible and intangible cultural heritage is of inestimable importance to the identity, well-being and continuity of individuals and communities.
"Benin wants to actively strengthen the role of history, culture and cultural heritage in encouraging national identity and self-image, as well as building the country's international profile. With the kataklè, the stories of the multi-generational journey returned to Benin, including a touch of Finland and our long-term museum expertise. The return ceremony was a touching occasion from the perspective of the National Museum of Finland as well,” says Elina Anttila.
Kataklè came to Finland in a collection exchange from France
The three-legged, wooden Kataklè that has now been returned was one of 27 artefacts that Colonel Dodds, who led the French conquering troops, looted from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Dahomey in 1892. France returned the other artifacts in November 2021. The kataklè seat was added to the collection of the National Museum of Finland through an exchange of artefacts with the Musée de l'Homme in France in 1939.