A 17th-century ceremonial stool looted from Benin Republic over a century ago by the French forces has been returned today from Finland. This is a welcome milestone in the restitution of African cultural pieces returning to their rightful homes in the continent of Africa.
The artifact is a katakle, a three-legged stool, which represents stability and power dates back to the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was founded in the 17th century off the coast of modern-day Benin. Two katakles were among 27 artifacts taken from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Dahomey by French colonial forces in 1892. The National Museum of Finland reports that these artifacts were moved to the Ethnographic Museum of the Trocadero in Paris.
As Benin has been seeking the return of a number of its artifacts, fighting against Western museums’ reluctance to return objects to their countries of origin, often with the argument of a lack the necessary resources to care for the works. France promised to return 26 of the artifacts. The katakles were separated from the collection and ended up in Finland’s National Museum. Now they have finally been returned to their land of origin. 
