Posts

Showing posts from November 21, 2021
Image
INTRODUCTION During the reign of Oba Ovonramwen, the kingdom of Benin, formerly Benin Empire, was invaded, looted and destroyed by the British. The attack of the kingdom was ostensibly response to the defeat of a previous invasion force by palace knights. The main motivation however was for the English, to finally put out of the way the legitimate kingdom and nation standing in the way of colonization of Africa by Europeans. The invasion became known as ‘Benin Expedition of 1897’. Much of the art and ancient artefacts, including the Benin Bronzes, were either destroyed or looted by the British forces and the long journey of the matter of the return of the stolen arts of Benin, started by Oba Akenzua, became know as the 'Stolen Artefacts of the Benin' aka the 'Benin Bronzes'.  In 2010, we opened the first Architecture of Unforgetting on Pinterest. At the time the page was called ‘Architecture of Loss’.  Loss, or Unforgetting?  This page is about the history of, and in pa