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Book

Loot : Britain and the Benin bronzes

Call Number

  • 730.9669 P5582 (CEN)

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Publication Information

London, England : Oneworld Publications, 2021.

Physical Description

xxv, 371 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm

Summary

"In 1897, Britain sent a punitive expedition to the Kingdom of Benin, in what is today Nigeria, in retaliation for the killing of seven British officials and traders. British soldiers and sailors captured Benin, exiled its king and annexed the territory. They also made off with some of Africa's greatest works of art. This is the story of the 'Benin Bronzes': their history before the British took them, their fate since 1897, and the intense debate about their future. When they were first displayed in London their splendour and antiquity challenged the prevailing view of Africa as a continent without culture or history. They are now amongst the most admired and valuable artworks in the world. But seeing the Benin Bronzes in the British Museum today is, in the words of one Benin City artist, like 'visiting relatives behind bars'. In a time of huge controversy about the legacy of empire, racial justice and the future of museums, what does the future hold for the Bronzes?" --

Contents

  • Preface: Relatives behind bars
  • The closer one gets to Benin, the farther away it is
  • Easily as big as the town of Haarlem and enclosed by a remarkable wall
  • The white men, greater than me and you, are coming shortly to fight and remove you
  • No revolvers, gentlemen, no revolvers
  • English justice, when outraged, is something to be feared
  • No force on Earth can stop the British from getting to Benin
  • A regular harvest of loot!
  • The white man is the only man who is King in this country
  • See how their families fared
  • Purely African, thoroughly and exclusively out and out African
  • Strange harvests come home to King Street
  • Like ripping pages out of our history
  • Family secrets
  • Toochly-Poochly
  • All done for the sake of Nigeria
  • Please, sir, when will Britain give back the Benin Bronzes?
  • A lot of history we just never heard about
  • How do you think your ancestors got these?
  • We can make it win-win.

Subjects