We are asking @governorobaseki to be clear and transparent on this difference, by which we mean, what exactly is intended for his proposed ‘EMOWAA’.
Clearly, the Oba’s Benin Royal Museum and this British Museum’s ‘emowaa’ are not the same proposal. Yet, the governor keeps failing to state exactly as much.
The 1897 artefacts do not belong to the Edo State government nor to the federation of Nigeria but rather to the spiritual and ancestral heritage of the Benin People, through the ancestral and legitimate representative of the Benin people, the Oba of Benin.
The artefacts from 1897 must and are to be returned to the palace from which they were violently stolen. The Oba himself has designated the Benin Royal Museum for them.
Though Benin Royal Museum was the initial plan, as per the Oba’s discussion with the governor as far back as 2018, it seems governor Obaseki has chosen to abandon that discussion by not working directly with the palace over Benin Royal Museum -—and why the governor would abandon BRM by springing up a new proposal of ‘emowaa’ in 2020 is certainly confusing.
That said, the proposed ‘EMOWAA’ is a great idea. There are countless art from many periods of EDO/BENIN HISTORY, including the modern and contemporary ones, whether in Benin City or across West Africa, and @emowaa_ / ‘EMOWAA’ could make tremendous, meaningful contributions through clear, transparent objectives as ‘Edo Museum of West African Arts’.
The ARTEFACTS FROM the 1897 invasion of Benin, however, are returning to the palace from where they were first looted and must, are and will be for the Oba’s ROYAL BENIN MUSEUM. This is the final word of the custodial of the Benins, the Oba of Benin.
We sincerely wish #governorObaseki show clarity and real leadership and get EMOWAA off the ground.
