It has been years in the making, but it's inauguration is being overshadowed by an increasingly heated debate on looted art.

That's because among the items said to be displayed at the museum, known as the Humboldt Forum, are the Benning bronzes.

They are sculptures and metal Clark, stolen from the by the British in 18 97 from the kingdom off been in in what is now a door state in southern Nigeria and sold to a number off Western countries.

They're viewed as some of Africa's greatest treasures, and calls are growing for the German government to return them.

We want how try to return off those things here.

They belong here.

This that they were made and we know the purples, the reason why we made them.

Another person demanding the return off the burning bronzes is Nigeria's ambassador to Germany.

His Excellency use of two guards sent a letter to the German government making the demand.

He joins me now to talk about this.

Welcome to D.

W news Africa Ambassador, Why do you feel so strongly about the return off these sculptures.

Why is it so important to get them back to Nigeria?

It's a continuation off Nigeria's position since independence, Nigeria has been consistently calling for the return off looted stolen cultural properties, which includes the Benin bronzes if bronzes if outworks as well as the knock terra cotta, I merely, um, continuing that right?

Um, ambassador thing, these sculptures, they're considered sacred to people in Nigeria.

Just how does it feel knowing that if these people who revere these for what they are want to see them, they've got to travel all the way to Europe.

Truth of the matter is, majority of the people cannot see them.

200 million Nigerians out of them, probably just a handful of people have the ability to view such cultural properties on.

We have a very youthful population.

We feel that it would go a long way towards assisting Nigerian youth to understand our history, our culture, particularly in a situation where we're we were projected to be bereft off history before contact with enlightened.

I'll tell you this, Ambassador, the truth is I mean, you've said it yourself, that this is something you've been calling for since Independence.

It's been about a year since you wrote that letter to the German government how you feel about the response that Nigeria has been getting.

Do you feel like others do here that the Germans are dragging their feet about this?

Well, the fact of the matter is, we have not received a response yet a year later on.

But what do you make of that?

First of all, knowledge?

Well, it's It's quite strange, quite peculiar, because, Aziz, you know, embassies represent countries in other states in other countries.

On bond official communication emanates from the embassy within the country being communicated, so we would have at least expected some sort of results.

Ambassador.

Yes, You haven't been given a response, Ambassador.

You've taken the issue to Twitter going public about what is normally done through private diplomatic channels.

I just wonder if if you're confident, or perhaps how confident you are that you're going to be successful in your push to get these artifacts back.

Well, you see, it's an idea whose time is right.

You know, this agitation, um, is all over the world and its type directly to colonial legacy.

On bond, particularly in Germany, the home off the, you know, infamous Berlin conference in 18 85.

You have to remember that the sacking off Benin the billion massacre happened 12 years after the Berlin conference in 18 97.

So, uh, is directly linked to that on to display such stolen artworks.

Such stolen cultural properties in Berlin, where the conference took place, is, uh, you know, it gives the feeling off sort of in your face for lack of a better freight.

All right, that's Nigeria's ambassador to Germany, His Excellency use of Tucker.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.