Old Broad Street, what a beautiful picture! Shame
that we could not preserve and blend our old ways
to suit our modern lives. We still have the types of
the black caps in the picture up till today in UK
manufactured in their likes and as new as 2012
models. Alas, things have gone from bad to worse
and from worse to worst in Nigeria. The only
things we renew seems to be corruption, looting
and stealing as well as other vices both in high
and low places. I weep for my country.
I do not know if your generation met the majestic
St. Anna court building which was razed to the
ground. I’m still on the look-out for any old
picture. At Ibadan, just about all the old colonial
buildings in the different Government Residential
Areas (GRAs) AND at Lagos, especially Ikoyi, have
been sold off government hands. The buyers (top
government and industry types), especially at Ikoyi
– in pursuit of humongous profits – have razed
the grand old buildings down and replaced them
with soul-less modern boxes, mostly multi-family
dwellings. The case of Ikoyi is a big disgrace
because those properties could have been sold
with a condition that the exterior be not subjected
to architectural/structural modifications.
Places such as properties around Queen Street,
Yaba (Lagos) will soon disappear, and gone would
be the old Brazilian-type architectural small
bungalows. On my rare visits to Lagos, I never fail
to hope the Okupes would not allow Agbonmagbe
House, the building that housed the old
Agbonmagbe Bank, Nigeria’s first indigenous bank
founded by late Chief Okupe, to go the way of
many that are being sold for huge amounts.
After Adekunle Police Station on Herbert Macaulay
and just before the turn-off (left) towards the Third
Mainland Bridge, the quaint Brazilian-design
bungalow is on the right.
I’m aware that the house still remains in family
hands but how long this will stand in the face of
tons of money that such a place can attract is
anybody’s guess unless, of course, Lagos State
Government can start paying attention to the area
of acquisitions of a few places to serve as small
museums, etcetera to hold Yoruba artefacts.
Philanthropists are also needed to rise to the
challenge of donating places that would ensure
generations yet unborn would not meet huge
buildings with no pasts in the future.
I never stop wondering how our ancestors: the
Edos of Benin Kingdom, the Middle Belters, the
Yoruba, Sokoto, etcetera – all in Nigeria – came
up with those magnificent Opa Oranyan & Ori
Olokun (Ile-Ife), etcetera; Benin Bronze heads; the
magnificent Nok Culture terracottas centuries, in
some cases, over 1000 years ago AND YET, we the
descendants, continue to feel no shame about our
lack of any additions to these wondrous works.
Your note, Dear Fatai, has gotten me thinking of
something I’ve planned to showcase for a while
that may lead us to a path that I believe we
Africans must pursue. Ten years ago this month, I
wondered aloud about the original manuscript for
Rev. Johnson’s “The History of the Yorubas” in my
weekly essays for a newspaper as “The manuscript
that got lost: Remembering the Rev. Samuel
Johnson (Ayinla Ogun).
All the wondrous works below from different parts
of Nigeria – with the exception of the monolith at
Ile-Ife (Opa Oranyan) lie in various museums and
private collections of the Western world: the
British Museum, The Louvre in Paris, and many
university collections in the West.
Now, I’m not talking of getting these irreplaceable
works of arts back but shouldn’t their creation be
enough to spur Nigerians to strife for excellence?
Shouldn’t the creation of magnificent works of arts
by our African ancestors West, East and South of
the Continent – the North are much different – be
enough impetus for us to raise our heads by
striving for excellence rather than the corruption
that envelope us?
While waiting for a renaissance of spirit in us all,
let’s feast our eyes on a tiny few of these
incredible works that were stolen, taken for a song
many times over or given as gifts through trickery
by Westerners who came to “civilize” our
ancestors. Remember my reference to how Alake
of Egbaland Late Oba Lipede refused to part with
ANOTHER ancient Bible that a white guy
purportedly wanted to take to England to “re-bind/
repair”. The monarch said, ‘no thanks’
remembering the palace lost a previous one
through the same kind of “assistance”.
The Nok Culture of the Middle Belt appeared from
around 500 BC to 200 AD – about thousand years
ago but somehow disappeared! If the civilizations
that produced those wondrous works somehow
disappeared, what happened and what have we
done about them?
Below are some pictures from the web; many of
us have seen the most popular ones while many
may be new. The publication of the old Broad
Street picture even though it does not contain
much AND Fatai Bakare’s comments got me going
on this.
It’s all v. depressing but also v. exhilarating as
regards our heritage. It’s about the same all over
Africa..

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples
Head
Clay
H. 21 cm (8 ¼”)
National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 60.3.2
Benin art became well-known to the West in
1897, after the British Punitive Expedition
sacked the city of Benin and brought
thousands of objects back to Europe as war
booty. The origins of the kingdom probably go
back more than 500 years. According to oral
history the people of Benin were first ruled by
the Ogiso kings, but the people revolted and
asked the King of Ife to send a prince to rule
them. He sent Oranmiyan, whose first son
Eweka became the first Oba or king of the new
dynasty. Terracotta heads, such as this one
dated to the late 15th or 16th century, were
used by the Ogiso rulers on altars to their
paternal ancestors (Girshik Ben-Amos 1995:
22). Other clay heads were used more recently
by the royal guild of brass casters on an altar
to Igueghae, who some as NJsert introduced brass
casting from Ife (Eyo and Willett 1980:130).

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples
Leopards
Bronze
L. 69 cm (27 3/16”)
National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 52.13.1,
52.13.2
Photo by Dirk Bakker
This pair of leopards, probably from the
sixteenth-century, are actually water vessels
(aquamanile), which are used for making ritual
ablutions by pouring the water out through the
nostrils. Such cast leopards were kept on the
royal ancestral altars and were used by the
Oba, when he prepared himself for the Ugie
Erha Oba ceremony, in which he honors his
deceased father. Leopards appear frequently in
Benin art, and there was a special guild of
leopard hunters who captured leopards. Some
were sacrificed, others were tamed, and the
Oba led them in processions as symbols of his
control over his counterpart, the king of the
forests (Girshick Ben-Amos 1995: 15). A
seventeenth-century engraving, based on a
Dutch visitor’s observations of Benin, shows
the Oba in procession with his tame leopards

Nigeria; Edo peoples ( Benin Kingdom Court
Style)
Commemorative trophy head
Late 15th-early 16th century
Copper alloy, iron inlay
H x W x D: 23.2 x 15.9 x 20 cm (9 1/8 x 6 1/4
x 7 7/8 in.)
Purchased with funds provided by the
Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program
82-5-2
Photograph by Franko Khoury
National Museum of African Art
Smithsonian Institution
Benin history is focused primarily on the thirty-
eight Obas (“kings”), who have ruled since the
founding of the dynasty. At the death of an
Oba, one of his successor's first
responsibilities is to establish an altar to his
memory. Commoners and chiefs also do this
for their predecessors with rectangular altars
and wooden commemorative heads. Only the
royalty are allowed to have semicircular altars,
and the use of brass to cast commemorative
heads is an exclusive royal prerogative. William
Fagg argued that this type of brass head with a
short, tight collar represented the very earliest
type of memorial head after brass casting was
introduced from Ife. Paula Girshick Ben-Amos,
however, feels they are not kings at all because
they do not wear crowns. She claims they are
trophy heads of decapitated enemy rulers
(Girshick Ben-Amos 1995: 26).

Nigeria; Edo peoples ( Benin Kingdom Court
Style)
Commemorative head of a king
19th century
Copper alloy
H x W x D: 38.1 x 24.4 x 27 cm (15 x 9 5/8 x
10 5/8 in.)
Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian
Institution in 1966
85-19-7
Photograph by Franko Khoury
National Museum of African Art
Smithsonian Institution
The high-collared heads seen in the previous
example are from the Middle Period, the same
period when plaques were introduced, the early
sixteenth to the late seventeenth century. The
Late Period, when this head was made, dates
from the late seventeenth century to 1897,
when the city was sacked by the British. During
this period the king was sent into exile, and
brass casting ceased for a while until a new
king, Eweka II, was installed in 1914. Each Oba
added embellishments to the beaded coral
crown as the dynasty continued, and the
commemorative heads reflect this cumulative
nature. As time went on, more brass became
available through trade, and commemorative
heads became heavier. Before 1897 we think
there were altars for each deceased king. Now
there is one altar for the kings who ruled after
the sack of Benin and one for those who ruled
before 1897 (Plankensteiner 2007).

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples

Queen Mother head

Bronze

H. 51 cm (20”)

National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 70.R.17

Photo by Dirk Bakker

Oba Esigie, the sixteenth king who ruled at the

beginning of the sixteenth century, created the

title of Queen Mother. His mother, Idia, was

said to have had particularly potent occult

skills and military savvy that helped Esigie

defeat the Igala people. He created the title to

honor her and is said to have established the

tradition of casting this type of brass head. It

shows the Queen Mother with her distinctive

hair style called the “chicken’s beak.” Since the

time of Esigie each Oba has conferred this title

on his mother three years after his accession

to the throne. These cast heads were placed

both on the altars in the palace and at the

Queen Mother’s residence (Girshick Ben-Amos

1995: 36).

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples
Queen Mother head
Bronze
H. 53.3 cm (21")
Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit
Purchase, 26.180
The Queen Mothers’ heads went through the
same series of stylistic transformation as the
kings’ heads. This much heavier casting, with
the high beaded collar, dates from the Late
Period of casting, probably the nineteenth
century. The Queen Mothers were also allowed
to have carved tusks on their altars. While the
animal symbol most commonly associated with
the king was the leopard, the symbol of the
Queen Mother was the hen, and carved images
of hens were also placed on her altars. Apart
from the Oba and his intricate coral bead outfit,
only “the Queen Mothers, the Crown Prince and
the Ezomo [high ranking chiefs and military
commanders] are permitted to wear a beaded
shirt and crown” (Girshick Ben-Amos 1995:
89).

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples
Equestrian figure
Bronze
H. 47 cm (18 1/2")
Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mrs. Walter B.
Ford II, 1992.290
From an 1823 account of the explorer Giovanni
Belzoni and an accompanying sketch, we have
one of the few descriptions and drawings of
altars of the Kings of Benin before 1897, when
all were dismantled. Equestrian figures such as
this were apparently included on the altars, but
who is represented is the matter of
considerable debate. Some have suggested the
figure is an emissary from the north, others
that it represents an enemy, the King of Idah.
Paula Girshik Ben-Amos suggests the
“horseman may represent Oranmiyan, the
founder of the second dynasty, who is said to
have introduced horses into Benin, and who is
also associated with the foundation of the
Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, which rose to power
through its mounted armies. The fact that such
figures were placed on ancestral altars seems
to support this identification” (1995: 54).

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples
Figure
Bronze
H. 63.5 cm (25”)
National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 54.15.8
Photo by Dirk Bakker
This type of figure was apparently also kept on
the royal ancestral altars. An anonymous author
in the Royal Gold Coast Gazette wrote in the
1820s, “The tombs are decorated by as many
large elephant’s teeth as can be set in the
space; and the socket of the tooth is
introduced into the crown of the head of a
colossal brazen bust, ... The other figures on
these monuments are very happy, a blacksmith
on an ass, and a carpenter in the act of striking
with an axe, are well portrayed” (cited in
Girshik Ben-Amos 1995: 53). The “axe” is
actually a blacksmith’s hammer. Eyo and Willett
describe the figure as the messenger who
carried the emblems of authority—a bronze
cap, a stall, and a cross—from Ife to Benin
(1980: 133). Others suggest it represents one
of the Benin court officials who wear the cross
as their emblem.

There are over 900 plaques dating from the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This was
the period of great warrior kings. Benin
conquered surrounding areas and expanded the
kingdom as far west as Wydah (in modern
Benin) and as far east as the Niger River. The
sixteenth century was also the period when the
Portuguese arrived bringing trade goods
(especially a steady supply of brass) and
providing mercenary troops. This was also a
time of great artistic production, and a number
of art forms, such as the plaques, began and
flourished during this era. Because a two-
dimensional rectangular format is unusual for
African art, scholars assume that the artists
who made the plaque had seen European
books. The subject matter is primarily of
political ritual, this one for example, shows
some of the court attendants.

Nigeria; Edo peoples ( Benin Kingdom Court
Style)
Plaque
Mid 16th-17th century
Copper alloy
H x W x D: 47 x 34.2 x 8.2 cm (18 1/2 x 13
7/16 x 3 1/4 in.)
Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian
Institution in 1979
85-19-18
Photograph by Franko Khoury
National Museum of African Art
Smithsonian Institution
Figures appear in hierarchical perspective:
those who are more important are depicted
larger. The servant who holds the sword is
smaller than the king or war chief who
dominates the center of the plaque. Several
Portuguese appear with their stylized hats and
hair, but it is not certain whether they are
meant to be real men or a symbol of Olokun,
the god of the waters and wealth. Girshik Ben-
Amos interprets the background quatrefoil
design of many of the plaques as a symbol of
Olokun (1995: 40). All the plaques show nail
holes, evidence that they were once attached to
pillars or walls of the palace. By 1700 they
were no longer being used and had been
removed, and in 1897 they were all found
stacked up in storage.

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples

Plaque

Bronze

H. 43 cm (16 15/16”)

National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 48.36.40

Photo by Dirk Bakker

This plaque shows isiokuo (a war ritual) in

honor of the god of war and iron, Ogun. An

acrobatic amufi (dance) is represented,

recalling a legendary war against the sky (Eyo

and Willett 1980: 137). In the top of the tree

are three ibises or “birds of disaster.” The

birds refer to a story about one of the great

warrior kings, Esigie. As he was going to war

against his enemy, the Igala, the ibis cried out

that disaster lay ahead. Instead of heeding the

warning, Esigie had the bird killed and

“proclaimed that ‘whoever wishes to succeed in

life should not heed the bird of

prophecy’” (Girshick Ben-Amos 1995: 35).

Esigie had the brass casters make a staff in the

image of the bird to commemorate the event,

and these staffs continue to be used in the

festival Ugie Oro, honoring each king’s dead

father.

Nigeria; Benin Kingdom peoples

Head of an Oba

Bronze

H. 29.2 cm (11 1/2")

Indiana University Art Museum, 75.98

Other types, however, are indisputably

commemorative heads to be placed on the

altars of former kings. Carved ivory tusks are

placed in the top, for ivory was another

material reserved for royalty, and there are

special guilds of artists who only carve ivory

for the king. Brass has special meaning in

Benin. Because it never rusts or corrodes it

represents the permanence and continuity of

the institution of kingship. It is considered

beautiful, and in the past the royal brasses (of

which there are a wide variety: from pendants,

plaques, staffs, and stools to masks and

commemorative heads) were polished to bring

out their shine. Brass “is red in color and this

is considered by the Edo [people of Benin] to

be ‘threatening,’ that is, to have the power to

drive away evil forces” (Girshick Ben-Amos

1995: 88). TO BE CONTINUED.....