₦airaland Forum

naptu2:
British media houses are covering this story.

There has been a campaign that the British Museum should return looted Benin and Ife bronzes. However, the museum has refused to return any of the looted African artwork because they claim that Africans cannot maintain them. This has drawn intense anger from many Africans.

Nefort:
How many marks will you give him?

thisisit:
From the least to the greatest, there is no single REASONABLE person in that disgraced State.

naptu2:
British media houses are covering this story.

There has been a campaign that the British Museum should return looted Benin and Ife bronzes. However, the museum has refused to return any of the looted African artwork because they claim that Africans cannot maintain them. This has drawn intense anger from many Africans.

Pootle:
you get getting it all wrong here all i wanted was to read a summarized version

greypencils:
Detailed as usual. Welldone Naptu!

ARISHEM:
Even though the artifacts ought to be returned to the palace it is the Edo state government that has the final say here because they are in custody of all of it.

saddler:
Like i said, there is no one who can present credible evidence that artifacts where looted from their home during the expedition. And if they have any, they can approach the court to seek redress. However it is common knowledge that most of the artworks were looted from the palace.
Your agenda and propaganda may disagree with the obvious.

Moreover, no Edo person or family will drag artifacts with the Oba of Benin or the palace because he is the custodian of the culture of the people. Only outsiders like yourself that are paid peanuts to spew propaganda online will be asserting a non-existent friction between the Edos and the Oba.

Earthscience:
OH! Lazy dude .
Funny you.

naptu2:
British media houses are covering this story.

There has been a campaign that the British Museum should return looted Benin and Ife bronzes. However, the museum has refused to return any of the looted African artwork because they claim that Africans cannot maintain them. This has drawn intense anger from many Africans.

FreeStuffsNG:
I am not sure that they were properties of the Oba. These were private properties and not all could possibly belong to the palace. It was the whole village that was ransacked and not only the palace.

Some of the descendants of the true owners may be codedly protesting against getting their properties to be confiscated without receiving credit or compensation.

The Oba doesn't create artifacts nor carve yet descendants of these people are still alive.

Dogalmighty17:
Something made by Africans cannot be maintained by Africans? Is this not madness?

saddler:
Stop the nonesense trash!

The Benin empire had a craft guide that was owned and administered by the Oba. The guide is still in existence till today. Their work is to produce artwork depicting history, important persons, ceremonies.

So most of those artifacts are properties of the Oba of Benin.

It maybe true that some of the works were also owned by private individuals but no one presently alive can lay claim to anything because there is no evidence.

Ekpekus:
Las las school is not a scam... Otherwise common sense would have informed them that irrespective of the name of the museum, the goal is to attract tourists and give opportunities for all to learn about the Benin heritage and culture.

naptu2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcKPkKuHs0s?si=dDFeNxm5JyH3wBSu

1) Some European countries, including Germany, announced that they would return looted Benin artwork to Nigeria.

Germany To Return Benin Bronze Back To Nigeria
https://www.nairaland.com/6473442/germany-return-benin-bronze-back

2) The Federal Government of Nigeria had been lobbying for the return of the priceless artwork and these countries signed an agreement with the Federal Government (represented by ministers).

Germany Returns 1,000 Benin Bronzes To Nigeria Amid Frustrstion At Britain
https://www.nairaland.com/7489712/germany-returns-1000-benin-bronzes

3) A dispute broke out over where the artwork should be kept. Both the Edo State Government and the Oba of Benin lobbied to get the artwork.

4) The Obaseki Administration announced plans to set up a "Museum of West African Art" (MOWAA).

FG, Edo Unveil New Pavilion Building Designs For Edo Museum
https://www.nairaland.com/6621652/fg-edo-unveil-new-pavilion


5) This led to a dispute between the State Government and the Palace. The dispute was more of a cold war, no overt action was taken.

A) There was a rumour that the State Government wanted to strip the Oba of Benin of his chairmanship of the Edo State Council of Traditional Rulers. There was a claim that the government wanted to set up a separate council of traditional rulers for southern Edo State. The Governor later denied this.

B) It was alleged that the State Government witheld some funds to the Edo State Council of Traditional Rulers. Two Enigies (dukes or lower traditional rulers) complained that it was the Oba of Benin that refused to fund the council.

The Enigies wrote a letter to the State Government that it should create another council of traditional rulers (the Oba of Benin would not be the chairman of that council).

The people of the areas that the Enigies oversee wrote to the Oba of Benin to complain about the behaviour of the Enigies. The Oba of Benin then suspended the Enigies.

The Enigies sued the Oba and claimed that he had no power to suspend them (they said that only the government could suspend them).

There were rumours that the State Government had sued the Oba, but the Government denied this and said that they had no hand in the case.

Oba Vs Edo Govt: Benin Traditional Council Gives Obaseki Conditions For Peace
https://www.nairaland.com/8103065/oba-vs-edo-govt-benin


6) President Muhammadu Buhari ordered that the artwork should be returned to the Palace/Oba of Benin. He said that the artwork was stolen from the Palace in the 1800s, so it should be returned there. The Oba of Benin went to the Aso Rock Villa to thank President Buhari.

This was also the reason why the Oba went to visit Buhari in Katsina after Buhari left office and it was also the reason why the Oba visited President Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa.

President Backs Ultramodern Royal Museum At Oba Of Benin’s Palace
https://www.nairaland.com/7103690/president-backs-ultramodern-royal-museum


125yrs After, Oba Of Benin Takes Physical Possession Of Returned Artefacts
https://www.nairaland.com/6994748/125yrs-after-oba-benin-takes

President Buhari Receives Benin Traditional Council In Aso Rock
https://www.nairaland.com/7102975/president-buhari-receives-benin-traditional


Oba Of Benin Visits Former President Muhammadu Buhari In Daura
https://www.nairaland.com/7821945/oba-benin-visits-former-president

Oba Of Benin Visits President Tinubu (Photos And Videos)
https://www.nairaland.com/7764497/oba-benin-visits-president-tinubu


7) The Oba of Benin visited Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at Lagos House Marina and they both went to the John Randle Center at Onikan. The Oba announced that he planned to build a royal museum, the Benin Royal Museum (BRM) to house the returned artwork, so he came to see what they could learn from the John Randle Center for Yoruba Art and Culture.

Oba Of Benin Visits Governor Sanwo-Olu (Photos & Videos)
https://www.nairaland.com/7923022/oba-benin-visits-governor-sanwo-olu


8 ) There was an event at the Museum of West African Art in Benin yesterday. It was an opening ceremony and private viewing event. The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, the French Ambassador, the Danish Ambassador and other diplomats were present. However protesters invaded the venue. They were chanting that they did not want Museum of West African Art, they wanted Benin Royal Museum. They were also chanting, "Obaseki, ole".

The police had to evacuate the diplomats and other dignitaries from the venue.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwq3duxj5J4?si=_UE7vUui7dlb1Zir

Konquest:
Whoa! I saw the pictures and a video of the European diplomats who were kicked out of that building. I hope those folks would not relay messages to their governments to withhold the return of the precious Benin artifacts to Benin because of this protest.

These 2 videos posted right here had where those White diplomats were chased out edited out.

The situation should be de-escalated as soon as possible so that those artifacts can be properly preserved at the Royal Museum, while generating income from visiting tourists.

naptu2:
British media houses are covering this story.

There has been a campaign that the British Museum should return looted Benin and Ife bronzes. However, the museum has refused to return any of the looted African artwork because they claim that Africans cannot maintain them. This has drawn intense anger from many Africans.

Pootle:
am not lazy i am joggling between office tasks and scanning through other sites

Earthscience:
Let us appreciated good works when we see one! There is no way the message would have been well passed using your acclaimed 50 words.
The trail of the story...how it started and where it is currently nailed it!
The OP did perfectly well...whether one has been following the story prior before now or not this thread puts anybody that opens it and reads through to speed.
Kudos OP!!!