Architecture of Unforgetting

  QUESTION: Jacob Egharevba caused this misinterpretation of Benin history but what is confusing is that in his book titled Short History of Benin was purportedly reviewed by the Oba of Benin, Oba Eweka II (ie read to him by the then edaiken). Is it therefore safe to say the king himself affirmed the works of the late historian despite the errors? RESPONSE: Jacob Egharevba had his sentiments being that not only where he grew up but he was a self confessed member of a certain ROF. A historian is also a human being he has his sentiments. Although Egharevba's book is not perfect because of the imperfections of man but he tried. His book is great because of his sources but unfortunately his sentiments as a human being came to play in some areas. Coming to what you said I will like to point this out: 1. When he gave his manuscript (Ekhere) for approval to Oba Eweka, he was advised him to edit or remove some materials but he didn't. 2. When both Ekhere and the first edition of Short...

 THE REFUSAL OF BENIN Adolo is not the subject of this 1987 article but it is interesting to note how mere mention of him supports the argument we are about to make here. For a nation so enamoured by arriving Europeans, Benin's history with various European nations was one fraught with recurring decisions by various Benin kings to block or ban trade with the Europeans. These objections — as we find with Oba Adolo, father of no other than Oba Ovoranmwen himself — were evermore frequent and to do with the same recurring reasons that Esigie had in that first and early ban a good three centuries back, which was the European nature and choice of what they the European increasingly preferred to trade in: human beings.  Benin’s decision in banning and frequent acts of intrepid withdrawal from the European Trade must and deserves to be seen as a gesture of the refusal by the African and a counter to the contemporaneous norm of what was expected of ‘African Kingdoms’ of the time. Was t...

REGARDING THIS IMAGE here, Humans of Edoland is absolutely correct: They started with Great Benin Obaship title and moved to Benin royal sword of Authority (Ada and Eben) and now going for the Great Benin red beaded crown.   With this beaded crown that this current ooni is today wearing, tomorrow they’ll start carrying new lies about how it’s all theirs, how it’s simply ‘yoruba’; just like how they took the word ‘Oba’ ie the original Edo word and title for ‘emperor’ to mean a Yoruba word ‘king’. Today we hear of all sorts of ‘kings’ attaching ‘oba’ to their already existing particular title. The first creation of the title of ooni as ‘king’ was the election of Aderemi, a  charismatic politician by the British who made him ‘ooni king of the yoruba’ in 1930 when Ademiluyi the priestly holder of the title passed on that same year. Before Aderemi, there was no ‘oni, king of Ife’. Rather ‘ooni’ a priesthood title of Ife. The previous guy, Ademiluyi, was merely a ‘priest’. When ...

  THE DESTRUCTION OF GWATO, THE BENIN PORT Although it housed the first factory ever built on this side of the West African coastline, Ughoton (Gwato) wasn’t a big or busy port. As early as 1516, Oba Esigie closed down the factory, which was built by the Potoki as part of his ban on the European trade in humans.   Ughoton nonetheless was a critical port for Benin kingdom in its inter-nations trade in palm oil in particular, including palm kernels, pepper and non perishables like cloth. For this reason, Ughoton was one of the key places the British were keen to destroy in their 1897 invasion of the kingdom of Benin.                                              According to oral history, Ughoton was founded by Prince Ekaladerhan, the only child of Ogiso Owodo, the last Ogiso of the Ogiso dynasty of the Benin Kingdom (Oronsaye, 1995). From its rudimentary stage, Ugho...