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Britain: Return our Stolen Artefacts!

In February 1897, the British empire in what they termed “Punitive measure” invaded the ancient Benin Kingdom, now located in Nigeria deposing Oba Ovomramwen to Calabar in the present Cross River state of Nigeria, executing many of his traditional chiefs and killing innocent people in the city. The British then raided the private cultural centre of the Kingdom by stealing more than 3000 artefacts belonging to the Kingdom. The most famous of this being the Festac 77 mask also referred to as Queen Idia mask now conspicously and dubiously made to sit in the Museum while innocent minds take a look at it. During the Festac ’77 Festival held in Nigeria, a replica of the mask was used as a mascot of the biggest festival ever held in Africa. The mask is cast in bronze and ivory.

 

The Festac mask has come to symbolize unity against the continued struggle of African people worldwide particularly those seeking the return of their artefacts stolen by Britain and scattered around the various countries of Europe and in America. The Festac mask represents one of the unaccountable number of African artefacts stolen from the country by Britain and other European countries of the world.

 

It is particularly sad that these number of stolen artefacts are made to comfortably sit in British museums, attracting large sums of money and undeserved respect for the country while the real and deprived owners are left mourning the loss of these artifacts.  The stealing of these invaluable artefacts from African countries have left a wide and deep void which may never be filled unless these works of African origin are immediately returned to us without further excuses by Britian and her fellow European and American countries or how are African countries expected to listen to them when thhey preach peace and equality and even try certain people for war chrimes?

 

The stealing of our artefacts by Britain and fellow European countries is nothing but cultural stealing. This was an attempt to steal together our cultures and ship them to briitain and other dens located in Europe and America. Concerned African countries should never relent unless these works are totally recovered. The case of Britain and the stealing of  Queen Idia mask is shameful and leaves the government of Britain not to be trusted in its sour words to unite the world culturally and otherwise.

 

“In November 2006 the UK intellectual property office accepted the application to register the mask as a trade mark. Details were published in the UK Trade Marks journal for three months to allow for any objections. The British Museum had every opportunity to oppose the application if they had rightful copyright. They did not oppose it. As a result, the trademark certificate was registered in the UK by Markets and Investments in June 2007.” (African Resource, Looting African Arts, Thursday, 10 April 2008)

 

By this development, Britain has succesfully acknowledged that if  the opportunity exists, she would successfully accept to  re-colonize Africa again and again. Britain should one day be made to account for all the artefacts she has stolen from Africa and refused to return having made so much monies from them through copyright claims.

 

Britain has continued to through every opportunity available to her demonstrate that she will not return these stolen African artefacts. In apparent deviation from UNESCO policy and decision of the General Conference at its 33rd session, the British Museum's during the debate in 2007 maintained that cultural objects were safer in developed countries and countries of origins could have access through digitized or digital images of the work. Is this not shameful to the whole world including America?

 

“The figures generated by the British Museum for the Benin artefacts alone is conservatively estimated at around 100 Million Pounds, (N25, 000, 000, 000 trillion Naira), not a single penny has been given to the Oba." (www.africanresource.com) Any student of Economics and Political Science or even International Relations will easily realise that this is nothing but continued under-development of Africa.

 

In 1874, Britain in manner similar to the invasion of Benin carried out what they also termed “Punitive expedition” in Kumasi, Ghana against the Asantehene (King) who had earlier resisted every attempt made by the British to reduce his economic as  well as economibc control in the former Gold Coast region for the selfish interest of the European country. It is a known fact that the British were attracted by gold which existed in the region. This resulted in the attack of the region led by the British Punitive Army led by Sir Garnet Wolseley. The King escaped which gave the British the opportunity to enter his capital stealing every valuable objects available including calashes worked in gold and silver, and the 20-centimeter high golden head believed to be the largest gold work ever made by man in Africa. This work fraudulently its way in Wallace Collection in London where it now dubiously sits.

 

In 2007, British prime Minister, Gordon Brown pledged his support for what the Briatain has called Britain’s first “Museum of Britishness” even though Britain has refused to return all the artefacts she stole from African countries and even around the world. African Historians have expressed fears that visitors to this Museum will have to pay and view stolen works prominently from Africa, an act which may become shameful to the once super power having lost its glory to  America. Withholding the mask further will continue to display the socio-cultural loss of the country’s glory to supposedly smaller African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia etc. Who can conclude that Britain is culturally larger than these African countires arteficially by her anyway?

 

Germany, Korea and China are not left in this cultural plunder of African countries as these countries have continued to purchase these stolen works thus creating a diffiicult avenue for the recovery of these works. Belgium and Austria oppose any return while America express the view that these works are better stored in foreign countries for scientific reasons well beyond what African countries comprehend and agitate so that African countries can raise question on whether these works were made for scientific researches in the first place and to be stored in more scientifically developed countries.

 

I enjoin African leaders to seek ways through which our stolen artefacts can be recovered from Britain and other Foreign nations who believe that plundering and stealing of artefacts should be universalized and legalised. The Nigerian and Ghananian governements especially should not relent in doing this. The donation of the Festac mask to UNESCO by Olusegun Obasegun, Nigerias’ former leader at a well attended ceremony in Paris held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris is not a solution but an event meant at encouraging Britain and others not to relent in their bid to hold on to our stolen artefacts. This  is also like the giving away of Nigeria’s Bakassi peninsular by the same Obasanjo as a means of courting the personal friendliness of USA, Germany, France and Britain rather the governments of African countries should display a much  more serious attitude which will signal the international community that enough is enough.

 

Britain return our stolen artefacts!

 

 

About the Author

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate with lots of tremendous published and unpublished works. Here he expresses interest in the return of African stolen artifacts by Britain

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