Layiwola explains the concept behind the title of the exhibition. According to him, Benin1897.com refers to the British punitive expedition ad represents an artist's impression of this cultural rape of the Benin Kingdom. It seeks to reconceptualise the activities of the British that year. In dealing with colonial imperialism and the exploration of Africa by Europeans, it takes its starting point from 1884 to 1885, the period of the Berlin Conference when Africa was partitioned among colonialists.
She also explains that the concept is .com, refers to an Internet domain name, which means commercial. "The whole motivation for the 1897 rape of the kingdom of Benin was based on economic interest. It is the same economic interest that continues to hold sway in these foreign museums. When Europeans view Benin objects in their museums, they have no cultural connections to them. What they appreciate is the artistry and commercial value of the works."
Early in the month of May, the exhibition was staged in the main auditorium gallery of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Nigeria. From Ibadan, the showing will go through Abuja and Benin till the end of the year.
Benin1897.com: Art and the Restitution Question consist of multiple assemblages of ancestral portraits, symbols, and texts that are imbued with Benin histories and memories. On one of the works in the exhibition, Ezuzu Maidens can be seen as a portrayal of the moral standing of the people of Benin Kingdom, before modernisation came into play.
The exhibition not only seeks to find answers to questions, but is also aimed at commemorating Nigeria at 50, while serving as a Post-inaugural Exhibition in honour of Professor Dele Layiwola, immediate past Director of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. To be declared open by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the exhibition opens August 20 and runs till October 10 at the Museum, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
The accompanying publication for the exhibition features essays by authorities in the art world like Kwame Opoku, Commentator on Cultural Affairs; Folarin Shyllon, Former Dean of Law, University of Ibadan; Professor Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA; Professor Freida High, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; Mimi Wolford, Director, Mbari Institute for Contemporary African Art, Washington DC, USA; Sola Olorunyomi, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, co-editor and curator as well as Professor Mabel Evwierhomaof the University of Abuja among others.
The project is supported by Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), the Edo State Government, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Abuja, the University of Lagos and the University of Ibadan.
The history of the Benin Kingdom cannot be written without mention of the role played by the mother of Oba Esigie. Known as Queen Idia, she is represented in history books as a fierce warrior. She played a very significant role in the rise and reign of her son. She was a strong warrior, who fought relentlessly before and during her son's reign as the Oba of the Edo people.
When Oba Ozolua died, he left behind two powerful sons to dispute over who would become Oba. His son, Esigie controlled Benin City while another son, Arhuaran, was based in the equally important city of Udo about twenty miles away. Idia mobilised an army around Esigie, which successfully defeated Arhuaran, and Oba Esigie became the 16th king.
Oba Esegie, who ruled from 1504 to 1550, was the first Oba to speak any language other than the native language. As the great warrior who fought to maintain the empire, the Queen is represented in one of the works of Layiwola titled Queen Idia Going To War. She fought like a man, was brave and powerful. She is also seen as a symbol of woman's liberation.
The history of the Benin Kingdom cannot be written without mention of the role played by the mother of Oba Esigie. Known as Queen Idia, she is represented in history books as a fierce warrior. She played a very significant role in the rise and reign of her son. She was a strong warrior, who fought relentlessly before and during her son's reign as the Oba of the Edo people.
When Oba Ozolua died, he left behind two powerful sons to dispute over who would become Oba. His son, Esigie controlled Benin City while another son, Arhuaran, was based in the equally important city of Udo about twenty miles away. Idia mobilised an army around Esigie, which successfully defeated Arhuaran, and Oba Esigie became the 16th king.
Oba Esegie, who ruled from 1504 to 1550, was the first Oba to speak any language other than the native language. As the great warrior who fought to maintain the empire, the Queen is represented in one of the works of Layiwola titled Queen Idia Going To War. She fought like a man, was brave and powerful. She is also seen as a symbol of woman's liberation.
The people of Benin take great pride in their art, as the artistry of the people does not end with bronze making. Furniture making is one other highpoint of the people in terms of creativity. Early accounts by explorers speak of the artistry of the local craftsmen. 1897 is a historic marker for Benin.
The exhibition also becomes handy in the sense that it comes at a time when the clamour for an unconditional return of all looted African works of art is being treated with disregard by the looters and their collaborators.
Several requests have been made to foreign museums where the Benin works are domiciled, but none of such requests have been answered favourably. In 1938, some form of reparation was made to the Benin monarchy when part of the regalia of Oba Ovoramwen found in a private collection in UK was returned to Oba Akenzua II.
In writing the history of the people, historians have always used the pillaging that took place in the kingdom over a decade ago as an identification symbol. Among the objects captured is an exquisitely crafted ivory pendant mask now at the British Museum. In 1977 Nigeria requested the loan of the ivory mask for a pan-African cultural festival centred in Lagos, and which had chosen the mask as its emblem. The British Museum initially requested an insurance bond of £2million for the mask, but then argued that it was too delicate to be moved from its carefully controlled environment. In the event the mask was not lent and this led to controversy. Also, in order to build up the collection of the national museum in Benin, then in its early stages of opening, the Federal government had to buy back some of the Benin pieces in the 1960s.
Over the years, Peju Layiwola has been experimenting with forms and media ranging from terracotta, copper, bronze and gold, among others. The current exhibition could as well be taken as an assemblage of all her medium of specialisation.
