Finland returns royal stool looted from Benin

Finland has returned a ceremonial stool that was looted from Benin by French forces more than a century ago, a gesture that officials from both countries described as a milestone in the restitution of the West African country's cultural heritage.

The katakle, a three-legged stool, dates back to the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was founded in the 17th century off the coast of modern-day Benin.

"This is the epilogue, and we are now looking ahead to other areas of restitution, return and circulation," Benin's culture minister, Jean-Michel Herve Abimbola, said during a ceremony on Tuesday in Cotonou amid a round of applause.

In 1892, French colonial forces looted 27 artefacts from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Dahomey, including two katakles, which were transferred to the Ethnographic Museum of the Trocadero in Paris, according to the National Museum of Finland.

Stability and power

It was a ceremonial portable throne symbolising stability and power, according to the museum, which added the king had a larger throne.

France announced in 2018 that it would return 26 of the works, and it did so in 2021. However, one of the katakles was separated from the collection and had ended up in Finland's National Museum.

"The process for returning the royal katakle back to Benin is an example of the power of modern rightful cultural policy," Mari-Leena Talvitie, Finland's science and culture minister, said on Tuesday.

Western museums have traditionally resisted appeals to return objects to their countries of origin, which they often argue lack the necessary resources to care for the works.

Benin has sought the repatriation of thousands of looted works.