News
Restitution of a cultural property of the Nok civilization
An expert appraisal, conducted under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture and Communication and the National Museum of Natural History of France, has determined that this statue, which will be seized in 2012, is a cultural property of the Nok civilization. This civilization appeared in Nigeria in 1500 BC and died out at the end of the first millennium BC, at the confluence of the Niger River and the Benue River (central Nigeria). It is a very advanced civilization, both in terms of social organization and refinement, at a time when the rest of southern Africa was entering the Neolithic era. The Nok culture is considered to be the oldest producer of terracotta in sub-Saharan Africa.
The statuette was stored at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, which has graciously cared for it. It was presented by the President of the French Republic to Nigeria on the occasion of his visit to Nigeria on 27 February 2014.
