Repatriation of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
Wɔatwerɛ nsɛm wei wɔ Asante Twi mu
Benin Bronzes no a wɔasan de aba, a ɛyɛ nneɛma a wɔaboaboa ano a wɔagye no, yɛ nsakraeɛ kɛseɛ wɔ
wiase afanan nyinaa a wɔde siesie abakɔsɛm mu ntɛnkyea a efi nnisoɔ ase no. Wɔ afeha a ɛto so 13 no mu pɛɛ na Edofo a wɔwɔ Benin Ahenni (a ɛnnɛ wɔfrɛ no Nigeria) no yɛɛ ahoni, nkaedum, ne nneɛma a wɔde di afahyɛ ahorow yi. Wɔfow no bere a na Britain asraafo de wɔn rebɛtwe wɔn aso wɔ 1897 mu no, na wɔkataa Europa ne Amerika tete nneɛma akorae ne ankorankoro nneɛma so. Wɔn a wɔsan baa Nigeria no kyerɛ sɛ wɔreyɛ nhyehyɛe kɛse bi a ɛbɛma wɔayi nnwumakuw a ɛwɔ tete nneɛma akorae hɔ no afi hɔ na wɔde amammerɛ mu agyapade no asan akɔma wɔn a wɔfata no.
Abakɔsɛm
[sesa]Benin Ahenni no yɛ Afrika aman a na ɛwɔ hɔ ansa na wɔrema no amammerɛ no mu biako, na na wɔde kɔbere
ayɛ adwuma wɔ Benin ahemfie no mu. Wɔ afe 1897 mu no, Britain asraafo hyɛɛ Benin Kuro so de yɛɛ ho biribi, na wɔfo amammerɛ mu nneɛma mpempem pii, a Benin Bronzes a agye din nnɛ no ka ho[1]. Akyiri yi, wɔtɔn saa nneɛma yi maa tete nnoɔma akorae ne wɔn a wɔboaboa nneɛma ano wɔ Europa ne Amerika Atifi fam, na wɔde asie hɔ bɛboro mfe ɔha ni.
Dea enti a wɔsan de wɔn kɔɔ wɔn man mu
[sesa]Wɔ mfeɛ aduonum a abɛsene kɔ no mu no, wɔabɔ mmɔden sɛ wɔbɛsan de Benin Bronzes no ama ɔman no, esiane sɛ nhomanimfo, wɔn a wɔpere wɔn ho, ne aban ahodoɔ kyerɛ sɛ, sɛ wɔkora saa nneɛma yi so wɔ aman foforo so a, ɛma wɔn a wɔtete hɔ no nya wɔn amammerɛ no so mfasoɔ, na ɛmma Nigerifo nnya wɔn amammerɛ ho abakɔsɛm. Nigeria aban, ne Benin ahemfie no, na wɔadi anim wɔ mmɔdemmɔ yi mu, na wɔasi honhom fam ne amammerɛ mu mfasoɔ a ɛwɔ kɔbere no so dua.
Wɔn a wɔtaa ma nkurɔfoɔ san kɔ wɔn man mu no si abrabɔ fam asɛyɛde a ɛda Atɔe fam ahyehyɛde ahodoɔ so sɛ wɔbɛteɛ abakɔsɛm mu mfomsoɔ ahodoɔ a ɛfa nnommumfa ho no so dua. Ɛnyɛ amammerɛ ne abrabɔ mu ahwehwɛdeɛ ahorow nko na ɛma wɔsɔre gyina mu, na mmom amanaman ntam mmara mu nhyehyɛe te sɛ 1970 UNESCO Apam a Ɛfa Sɛnea Wɔbɛbara ne Sɛnea Wɔbɛsiw Amammerɛ Ho Nneɛma a Ɛhyɛ Mmara Ase a Wɔde Kɔ Amanaman Mu, Nea Wɔde Kɔ Amanaman Mu, ne Nea Wɔde Fa Wɔn Ho[2] no nso.
Nsakraeɛ a aba nnansa yi
[sesa]Mfeɛ kakra a atwam ni no, wɔayɛ nsiesiei kɛse bi a wɔde reboa nkurɔfo ma wɔasan akɔ wɔn kurom. Wɔ afe 2021 mu no, Germany penee so sɛ wɔbɛsan de nnwinneɛ bɛboro 1,100 afiri n'ahemfie hɔ, a nea ɛwɔ Ethnological Museum of Berlin ka ho[3]. Saa ara nso na, wɔ saa afe no ara mu no, Aberdeen Sukuupɔn ne Jesus College, Cambridge san de Benin Bronzes no fii wɔn nnwinnadeɛ no mu, de kyerɛe sɛ wɔagye ɔkwan a wɔfaa so nyaa wɔn no atom sɛ ɛnyɛ papa[4][5].
Wɔ afe 2022 mu no, Smithsonian Institution a ɛwɔ United States san de Benin Bronze 29 kɔmaa Nigeria, de kaa nsakrae a aba wɔ ahyehyɛde no amammerɛ mu a ɛfa ɔsan ho[6]. Saa nneyɛeɛ yi de nhwɛsoɔ asi hɔ ama nnwumakuo afoforɔ, a British Museum ka ho, a ɛkura Benin nneɛma a wɔakora so a ɛsõ sen biara no mu baako, nanso ɛnyɛɛ nhyehyɛe sɛ wɔbɛsan de wɔn akɔ wɔn man mu koraa esiane mmara kwan a ɛwɔ British Museum Act of 1963[7] no nti.
Ɔhaw ahodoɔ a wɔfaa mu ne kwan a wɔfaa so sɔɔ ano
[sesa]Ɛmfa ho nkɔso a wɔanya no, ɔhaw pii da so wɔ hɔ. Mpɛn pii no, wɔtaa kyerɛ sɛ mmara mu nsɛnnennen, titiriw wɔ UK, ne adwinnwen a ɛfa sɛnea Nigeria nnwuma betumi ayɛ nneɛma a wɔasan de aba no ho. Nanso, Nigeria ayɛ mmɔdenbɔ kɛse de adi saa nsɛm yi ho dwuma, a emu bi ne nhyehyɛe a wɔde rebɛsi Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) wɔ Benin City, a ɛbɛhwɛ tete nneɛma a wɔsan de aba no so na ayɛ sɛ adesua ne amammerɛ mu nsesabea[8][9].
Benin Bronzes a wɔde bɛsan akɔ wɔn man mu no nyɛ honam fam nneɛma a wɔde bɛsan akɔ wɔn man mu kɛkɛ, na mmom ɛyɛ amammerɛ mu anuonyam a wɔde bɛsan aba, abakɔsɛm mu yaw a wɔapira, ne anansesɛm a wɔsan kyerɛ wɔ tete nneɛma akorae mu. Ɛkyerɛ nsakrae kɛse a aba wiase nyinaa tete nneɛma akorae ne agyapadeɛ ho nhyehyɛeɛ mu.
Mmoano
[sesa]Benin Bronzes a wɔresan de aba Nigeria no yɛ ade titire wɔ mmɔden a wɔrebɔ sɛ wɔbɛsan ama wɔn amammerɛ no mu. Ɛkyerɛ sɛ nnipa pii ahu ntɛnkyea a akɔ so wɔ abakɔsɛm mu no, na wiase ahyehyɛde ahorow bi asi wɔn bo sɛ wɔne aman a kan na wɔyɛ wɔn nkoa no bɛkasa yiye. Bere a ɔhaw ahorow no da so wɔ hɔ no, mmɔden a wɔrebɔ sɛ wɔbɛyɛ wiase agyapade ho nhyehyɛe a ɛkari pɛ na obu wom no da so ara reyɛ adwuma.
Mmeaeɛ a menyaa mmoa firiiɛ
[sesa]- ↑ Annie E. Coombes (2003), History after Apartheid, Duke University Press, ISBN 978-0-8223-3060-8, retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ "Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property", Collections Management, Routledge, pp. 99–106, 2005-07-25, ISBN 978-0-203-97439-1, retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ H. Glenn Penny (2021-06-15), "Benin Bronzes", In Humboldt's Shadow, Princeton University Press, pp. 80–107, ISBN 978-0-691-21114-5, retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ "Ritchie, Prof. William, (born 22 March 1940), Director, Aberdeen Institute of Coastal Science and Management, King's College, University of Aberdeen, 2002–11", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ Zero tolerance of racist abuse | News | The University of Aberdeen, retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ "Afterword:", The Brutish Museums, Pluto Books, pp. 235–242, 2020-11-05, ISBN 978-1-78680-683-3, retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ Jonathan Paquette (2020-08-07), "France and the restitution of cultural goods: the Sarr-Savoy report and its reception", Cultural Trends, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 302–316, doi:10.1080/09548963.2020.1819773, ISSN 0954-8963, retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) (in English), retrieved 2025-06-23
- ↑ Bennetta Jules-Rosette, J.R. Osborn (2020-06-01), "Introduction", African Art Reframed, University of Illinois Press, pp. 1–30, ISBN 978-0-252-04327-7, retrieved 2025-06-23