British punitive expedition looted thousands of brass plaques and sculptures from the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria, dispersing them globally after sacking the royal palace in Benin City. The 'Bronzes' revealed advanced West African metallurgy and court art from the 13th-19th centuries. Many remain in Western museums.

The looting inspires postcolonial poetry on cultural restitution and African heritage, as in works by Nigerian poets addressing empire and memory.