In the year 1977, at the height of Nigeria’s
past glory, the entire (global) black race converged on the Nigerian soil in a
global feast we called FESTAC ’77. It is rather very unfortunate however that a
few unlearned minds, sometimes even highly placed, have come to link the
nations recent misfortunes, (which actually are attributable to barefaced
misrule and corruption), to that global fiesta that brought fame and
recognition, and also development to the country.
FESTAC actually means the world Festival of
Arts and Culture (being the second edition of the world black and African
festival of its kind) in which all black people and people of African descent were
fully represented, and Nigeria just excelled herself in that memorable carnival
of awesome colours . The symbol of that great gathering was the carved mask
image of the Queen-Mother, Idia, during the reign of the irrepressible Oba Ovomramwen
of the great ancient Benin Kingdom. That great kingdom is today a part of
modern Nigeria.
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| The original FESTAC mask |
In the month of February
1897, the British conquering colonialists carried out a raid which has been
popularly tagged the “Punitive measure” on the then reigning monarch and his
kingdom. Oba Ovomramwen who was said to be recalcitrant towards the colonial
rule had his empire sacked and he was subsequently deposed to Calabar. Many of
his chiefs were killed in that coercive move, and the climax of it all was the looting
carried out on the vast artistic treasures of Benin. The stolen works of art
from the private collections of the royal house are said to number more than
3,000 pieces of treasured artefacts which were
carted away to the United Kingdom by the British.
Among the numerous treasures carted away stands out one particular piece
– the carved mask of Queen Idia, the queen-mother herself. It is instructive to
note that the FESTAC mask or symbol, which was employed during the festivities,
was actually a replica of this stolen mask. As the British refused to return,
donate or sell it back to the country, the Nigerian government of the day
commissioned a skilled craftsman in the modern day Benin area (which is still
famous for its rare quality traditional craftsmanship) to produce a copy of the
original mask. And this was what was used at FESTAC ’77. As it stands
therefore, the original mask that was stolen from the Benin treasures is sadly
sitting in the British museum where many tourists world-wide, including
Nigerians sometimes, come to pay to see this beautiful work of ancient Benin
artistry among other works in the museum.
In 1997, the International Council on Museums, ICOM declared that the
looting of archaeological items and the destruction of archaeological sites in
Africa are part of the cause of irreparable damage to African history and hence
to the history of humankind. ICOM also reiterated that a whole section of
African history have been wiped out, arising from such unguided behavious, and that
they can never be reconstituted. Is this not sad enough?
The
financial gains that have been made by the British Museum from the Benin artefacts alone are
conservatively estimated at around 100 Million Pounds.
And so far no royalties
of any sort have been made to the Nigerian people or government. And Article 11
of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on cultural objects taken across borders clearly
defines "as illicit, the export and transfer of ownership of cultural
properties under compulsion arising directly or indirectly from the occupation
of a country by a foreign power”.
The Queen Idia face or mask was the face of FESTAC’77 as it were; it was
the brand icon of that world fiesta hosted well by the Nigerian people, and ably
initiated by the then General Olusegun Obasanjo led government. The original
queen Idia mask is a masterful work of craftsmanship executed in ivory. The
quality of this art coupled with the strong roles of the then Queen-Mother,
Idia, whose face the sculpture depicts, are perhaps the reasons for choosing it
for the purpose it served at FESTAC.
And of course, it was also rife
that it meant to raise global attention towards the persistent call for that
precious piece of artefact among so
many others, to be repatriated by those holding them hostage. And this is the
crux of the matter: Art, and our art for that matter is the bedrock of our rich
cultural heritage and embedded in it is our inalienable history; it carries
with it an immeasurable wealth of value, and we have to guard it jealously or
someone else who values it more will take it away from us.
By Morgan Nwanguma
Ditto the Benin bronzes in the British Museum, and the Egyptian things. A very sad history. I am glad to have been able to see them in London, but our colonial history is a very mixed thing. The Brits - like the Germans, Americans and many other groups who have misused their power - have much to regret in our past and it always adds a layer of guilt to our appreciation of these objects. If there is a compensation, it is that because the British Museum bought these things, often at enormous expense from private collectors, (who bought them from the looters), millions upon millions of people of all nations have been able to see, study and appreciate the beauty of African art for free as entrance to the British Museum is free and it has changed the course of Modern Art - see Picasso.
ReplyDeleteAnd, interestingly, there is a story that the wonderful Benin Heads which are also in the British Museum, were "discovered" by an ethnographer, who tried to buy them. The owners said "NO", so the ethnographer had secret copies made by Benin craftsmen. Some say that the ones in the British Museum are these copies. If so, where are the originals? Some say he swapped the copies for the real ones in Benin at Ife. Do you know anything about this? Are these in the Museum at Benin?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your remarkable insights and leads on these matters. I think we are left with the responsibility of digging further and enlightening all lovers of art and African art on these issues. Together we can remake our world
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