Thoughts on Museum of Fine Arts Returns Two Art Works to Benin

https://www.mfa.org/press-release/mfa-boston-returns-two-works-of-art-to-oba-of-benin

I have been a teen intern at the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston for 2 years. I first hand got to see how much the museum staff truly cares about what is right—when the African exhibit was still up and running, a curator without force, authentically expressed her frustration and did not conceal whatsoever that these pieces were looted—something most institutions and even the MFA labels bury in velvet language. 

The kora melodies and ambient soundscapes illuminate the dark hall, as she advances piece to piece. She continues to enlighten us. The pieces were not kept in the gallery out of ignorance, but due to a complicated relationship with the holder. They pointed out an eye opening point—this gallery was one out of very few that was a hallway to lead visitors to the main to—just for visitors to not take too long to observe. That stuck with me. It was clear they wanted to do what was right, but there were limitations and dissent versus high museum holders and the actual staff in charge of the exhibits. 

This past Wednesday, I asked another curator what they plan to do with the remaining 5 pieces, and despite perhaps having to keep it in wraps, they mentioned there were active conversations with Nigerian officials. However, they also expressed the frustration that there were no current curators of the gallery. 

In my African Studies class, we often return to a central question: are the current crises in African nations the result of colonial legacy or internal leadership? What responsibilities fall to those in power now—governments, institutions, museums? There is no simple answer, but I do believe this: 

If colonialism structured a system of extraction and silence, then the burden now lies with those who inherited that system to choose differently.

I see the MFA as one of those inheritors. And I’ve also seen that it’s full of people who care, who are thinking critically, and who know what’s at stake. That’s why I believe the museum has a chance to act with integrity and precision. Not to "make history right"--that’s impossible–but to show that it understands the difference between holding culture and holding power.

The return of the Benin pieces wouldn’t be a grand gesture. It would be a responsible one. A signal that the MFA doesn’t just know the right thing, but is willing to do it. As a student in the African studies and teen intern at MFA, I am proud.

Thank you for reading,

Sophia Wang

High School Student,

MFA Teen Programs Intern

Student of African Studies