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  • Why Germany Is Returning Stolen Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

    On July 1st, 2022, Nigeria and Germany reached a deal for the return of over 1,000 Benin Bronzes to their roots. These artefacts are part of the collection of historical metal plaques and sculptures stolen by British soldiers who sacked Benin City 125 years ago.

    Stolen Benin Bronzes are returning to Nigeria

    What happened?

    In 1897, a British force of 1,200 soldiers attacked Benin City after locals killed British members of a previous expedition party to the ancient city. The vengeful British force came to steal, kill and destroy the prosperous Benin Kingdom. But they didn’t stop there; they also looted the Oba of Benin’s palace of all its valuables. British soldiers stole thousands of Benin Bronzes and shipped them off abroad where many of them remain today, 125 years later.

    Stolen Benin Bronzes are returning to Nigeria

    Why’s Germany returning its collection of stolen art?

    First, it’s not simply the fear of God. 

    The advocacy for the return of stolen art has gained momentum over the past decade. Colonial spoils of war still being displayed in foreign museums have started to become an ugly reminder of their past. Benin Bronzes are some of the most prominent poster faces for the campaign that has hit the art industry to return stolen property. 

    Stolen Benin Bronzes are returning to Nigeria

    Germany wasn’t directly involved in the looting of Benin, yet hundreds of artefacts ended up there through trade and donations. But the European giant is one of the first to admit the shame of the Benin expedition and actively attempt to correct course by returning them to their home country, Nigeria. 

    The return of the artefacts is a joint effort between the German government and museums that are housing the Benin Bronzes. The museums are members of a multilateral group known as the Benin Dialogue Group. The group’s main objective is the cultural restitution of stolen West African art. The Benin Dialogue Group was established in 2007 and includes other European museums, the Nigerian government and the Royal Court of Benin.

    How significant is this deal?

    Stolen Benin Bronzes are returning to Nigeria

    Global institutions including in the United Kingdom and the United States of America have been gradually returning their collections of Benin Bronzes and other Nigerian artefacts over the past few years.

    Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described the July 1st deal as the “single largest repatriation of artefacts anywhere in the world.” What the return of Germany’s haul does is put additional pressure on other institutions and countries that can be doing better to soften the blow of a horrendous crime committed 125 years ago.

    The biggest beneficiary of the Benin heist remains the British Museum which still houses the largest and most valuable collection of Benin artefacts. Yet, it remains reluctant to take a progressive stand on the return of the artefacts to Nigeria where they were stolen. 

    The Nigerian government wrote an official demand to the museum in October 2021 requesting the return of the artefacts. The museum’s response?

    The British Museum’s most innovative compromise in the past is the suggestion to loan the artefacts back to Nigeria on a temporary basis. 

    The German deal is a good pressure point to force the conversation of complete reparation with the British Museum and other global institutions still holding out.

    Stolen Benin Bronzes are returning to Nigeria

    In the words of the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, “This is a beginning to right the wrong.”

    What’ll happen to these Benin Bronzes?

    The returning artefacts will be displayed in museums being built or renovated in Nigeria. For example, in 2019, the Benin Dialogue Group, pledged to support the construction of the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) in Nigeria. The project is led by the Legacy Restoration Trust (LRT), a Nigerian nonprofit organisation, in partnership with the British Museum.

    The EMOWAA project seeks to reunite Benin artworks currently scattered all over the world, and the German deal will be remembered as one of its pivotal moments. Maybe the British Museum will read the room and take a cue.

    ALSO READ: 4 Artefacts That Were Stolen from Africa

    Samson Toromade

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  • What She Said — “My Ten-Year Plan Was to Become a Lagos Babe”

    Navigating life as a woman in the world today is interesting. From Nigeria to Timbuktu, it’ll amaze you how similar all our experiences are. Every Wednesday, women the world over will share their experiences on everything from sex to politics right here. 

    Today’s subject for #ZikokoWhatSheSaid is Oghosasere, is a 25-year-old Nigerian woman. She talks about the complicated relationship with her parents in Benin, changing her identity to fit into the Lagos scene, and finally reaching the bad b!tch status that didn’t last long.

    Let’s start from the beginning. Tell me about your childhood.

    I grew up in a polygamous family and lived in Benin city. My parents were previously married and met each other five years after losing their spouses. They both had two kids from their first marriages — my mum had boys while my dad had girls. Fifteen years later, they had me and I’m their only child together. By the time I was born, all their kids were out of the house, so growing up was boring and lonely. It should have been more interesting because we lived in the same compound with my father’s family but my mother was adamant about me staying away from them, especially my grandmother. 

    Why?

    My father’s family were traditional worshippers. My mother believed my grandmother placed a curse on her because she didn’t want my father to marry a Christian. To my mother, her 15 years of miscarriages and stillbirths before having me were my grandmother’s doing. Hence the decision to name me Oghosasere which means  “The one God allowed to stay” — a reminder of the ordeal. 

    My mother endlessly recounted this experience in the hopes that I’d be frightened, but it didn’t work. It simply made me curious about the mysterious old woman. I wanted answers and one day, that curiosity almost killed the cat.

    LOL. What happened to the cat?

    When I was three, my mother sent me out to play on my own because I had been interrupting her conversation with a friend. Once I noticed she was engrossed in the gist, I quietly snuck away to my grandmother’s house. 

    The front door was locked so I went to the backyard, and what I saw looked like a Nollywood scene: candles lit, slaughtered animals laid around, and my grandmother kneeling in front of a figurine. Nobody had to tell me to run before she realised I was there. Luckily for me, my mother didn’t even notice I was gone. Thank God for the sweet gist. LOL

    Omo. What was the relationship like with your dad?

    We were close. He was an easy-going guy, who was firm about his beliefs but also accepted my mother’s faith. Everything was great until he made it clear to my mother that he wanted a son and refused to spend any more money on my education. This didn’t change anything for me at the time because I was an oblivious four year old daddy’s girl. My mother, however, wanted me to have an education, and moving me to her sister’s house in Lagos was her only option because she couldn’t afford the school fees herself. 

    So after my last term in primary two, I was off to Lagos. It was my first time out of Benin, and it felt like a vacation. There was lots of food, games, and no rules about going outside alone.  My aunt had a daughter my age and we played to our hearts’ content. Lagos seemed fun. I wasn’t lonely anymore so there was no hesitation when my mum asked me to stay while she packed her bags to leave. 

    I still went back to Benin on school breaks. The relationship with my parents was great. My father was excited whenever I was back, and we’ddrive to Mr. Biggs for their juicy meat pies, while singing along to Brenda Fassie’s or Yinka Ayefele’s songs.. Things didn’t change between us until I was eight.

    What happened?

    My father finally got the son he wanted with another woman. Our relationship went downhill from there. There were no more trips to Mr. Biggs or car karaokes together. He didn’t seem to care about me anymore. When I went back to Lagos after that break, the calls and texts stopped. I didn’t see the point in returning to Benin again.

    I’m sorry that happened. What was Lagos like for you?

    Stressful. No one could pronounce Oghosasere so I had to change my name. The kids at school were also mean. My classmates called me a village girl because I could only speak Pidgin English. Saying things like “How far or “Wetin” got me a good beating from my aunt too. Trying to become a Lagos girl took a toll on my confidence.

    Secondary school was worse. I went from being called a “Village girl” to “Flat screen” because my uniforms were oversized. My aunty didn’t believe girls needed tight-fitted clothes. I resorted to using pins to hold the sides of my uniforms, but it didn’t make a difference — I was too skinny. “Flat screen” stuck with me until I graduated, and I dreaded every moment of it. I missed the simplicity of Benin.

    Kids are wicked creatures.

    Very savage.

    Did you eventually get past the teasing?

    Yes, my butt got bigger when I got into uni. 

    We thank God for puberty —

    LOL. I still struggled with my confidence, but I felt much prettier in uni. The freedom after moving into the hostel also brought  me relief. For the first time, I made friends and didn’t get bullied about things that made me a Benin girl. I partied, had shitty boyfriends, a lot of sex, and partied some more. No more baggy clothes or skinny legs, I was finally a Lagos babe and revelled in it. I thought everyone was on the same high of being young and free. 

    Unfortunately, the party days were coming to an end, and I didn’t get the memo early. My friends went from smoking weed and hopping between clubs to making solid plans about the next phase of life. They talked about things like getting a master’s degree, applying for jobs, and planning weddings. I was clueless and there was no one to speak to. My aunt was more focused on her daughter, while the relationship with my parents had become non-existent. 

    Would you like a relationship with them again?

    I have to figure out my life first. I want my mum to be proud of her decision to take me out of Benin city. 

    What does figuring things out look like to you?

    I’ve never dreamt about the future but I know it starts with letting people know my name is Oghosasere. My ten-year plan was to become a Lagos big babe but now, I’m owning my identity as a Benin woman living in Lagos and thriving.

    Ortega

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  • What She Said: Marriage And Children Are Not Tickets To Heaven

    The subject of today’s What She Said is a 61-year-old woman who moved to Lagos at 15 to become a caterer. She talks about being her father’s favourite out of his 18 children, surrounding herself with her family, choosing to not get married or have children, retiring at fifty and looking forward to the rest of her life. 

    What’s your earliest memory of your childhood? 

    It’s of my father using his bicycle to take me to school. Whenever my elder brother and I had a misunderstanding and he wanted to beat me, my father would put me on his bicycle and take me to school. That didn’t stop my brother from beating me after school closed because my dad was at the farm. 

    So, you grew up a daddy’s pet?

    Yes, I did. Two weeks after I was born, I had an operation. They said it was because I had abnormal growth on my back. In fact, that operation caused another problem. It was carried out in my village in 1960. The technology wasn’t that great, so I don’t think it was completely their fault. One of the wires used to stitch the wound was forgotten. I was just two weeks old, but I was in so much pain. I wasn’t eating or sleeping well. I just cried for days. Apparently, when my mother was massaging my back, she felt something there and pulled the wire out. That was when I slept properly for the first time in days. 

    But that was not the only reason I was my father’s favourite. His grandmother, whom he was very close to, died before I was born. She also had the same abnormal growth in her body. Before she died, she made my father promise that they would operate on her dead body and find out what was causing the growth. Unfortunately, he wasn’t around when she died, so he couldn’t fulfil his promise. Then I was born. 

    The only thing I hated about being my dad’s pet was that he never let me leave the house. Luckily, one of my brother’s came to take me to Lagos when I was 15. 

    Was it the same brother that used to beat you? 

    No, it wasn’t him. I had 17 siblings, so I have a lot of brothers. This one lived in Lagos, and he came to pick me because I had just finished primary school. I had nothing else to do and was just at home taking care of my sick mother. He and my father wanted me to do something else with my life. I decided I wanted to learn catering, and that’s how I came to Lagos. 

    Wait, primary school at 15? 

    Yes. Back then, you could only enter primary school when you could put your left hand over your head and touch your right ear. Short children or children with short arms or big heads had to start school late. 

    That method is so funny. Wow. Anyways, how did you feel leaving the village?

    I was excited. Coming to Lagos was the first time I entered a plane in my life. It was a Benin to Lagos flight, and it cost ₦30. I got on the plane with rubber slippers because my sister took the shoes I wanted to wear. She told me, “Shebi you dey go Lagos. Dem get everything for there.”

    Lagos was full of life, and it had things I had never seen in the village. The first time I went to a supermarket, I went with one of my relatives. I saw people putting things in their baskets and thought it was because the things were free. So, I put things in my basket. When we got to the counter, they calculated the things and told me to pay.

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    LMAO. That is wild. 

    Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time something like that happened. When I went to another village to see a family member, I ate in a bukka for the first time. When I was done, I told the woman thank you for the food and wanted to go wash the plate they gave me to eat with. She looked so confused. 

    I am dying. But it got better? 

    Yes, it did. Before I started catering school, I took time to get accustomed to a few things. I could only speak Esan and a bit of English, so I had to polish my English and learn Yoruba as well. 

    Why did you want to study catering?

    I like making and experimenting with food. Catering school was great and I enjoyed every moment of it. 

    When I finished catering school, I went for industrial attachment. Which is when they send you to different companies to work there for about three months. 

    After my industrial attachment, I went to work for a woman making snacks, then worked for a hotel. I also worked at two other hotels and some companies as their senior caterer. I also did events. 

    So, all your jobs were food-related? 

    Well, not all. After my third job, I went to Kano for a while to assist my sister who lived there. She used to buy and sell clothes, and I helped her buy the goods. I would go from Kano to Lagos by road and then return to Kano by air to avoid customs. 

    Avoid customs, why? 

    Well, at that time, the government was trying to stop the importation of Hollandies and Ankara, so customs sometimes searched people on the road. To avoid that, I would go by air. 

    There was a time during my usual movement to Lagos, I had to stop at Benin to deliver a message to my other sister. There were no phones then, so the message had to be delivered in person. While in the cab, some of the men there were 419.

    Because I was going to buy things I was always moving around with a lot of money. My sister tied the money and put it inside the sack with pepper and beans. I am sure when the men heard I was coming from Kano to Benin, they suspected I had some money. That’s when they started doing jazz. They spat into their palms and something came out and they did all sorts in the car. I became scared and made them stop the vehicle. I pointed to a random woman on the streets and said that was my sister waiting for me. They threw me and my property out of the vehicle and rained insults on me. 

    When I got home, I told my sister. We threw the sack on the floor and searched for the money. We had to be sure they didn’t use their jazz to magnet the money from the bag, Luckily, the money was still intact. It was a terrible experience. 

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    So, did that make you stop?

    No, it didn’t. I just decided to not go to Benin anymore. I still helped my sister with her buying and selling, until I decided to leave Kano. 

    Why did you leave? 

    I decided to relocate to Lagos because that’s where I had the bulk of my family members. I didn’t find it very easy to make friends in Kano. 

    So, what were you doing after Kano? 

    Well, I catered events and also started selling foodstuff. Now, I am retired. 

    That’s nice. When did you retire? 

    I retired when I was fifty. I realised with my arthritis, eye problems and age, I could not keep up with how stressful the catering industry is. I decided to open a provisions store instead. I needed to rest. 

    A provisions store doesn’t seem like you’re resting o

    Well, rest but I also wanted to be surrounded by my family. Also, the idea of just sitting down and doing nothing seems very boring. I still have strength left, why not use it? 

    When you say family, your kids? 

    No. I never had children. I also never got married. Initially, I did want to get married but the men were never faithful to me. They were disappointments and I just decided not to get involved with them anymore. I am very happy with my decision. I have my family around me and they take care of me. They always make me feel welcome. Marriage and children are not tickets to heaven, so they aren’t necessary. 

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    What do you look forward to now?

    Retirement phase two. Maybe I will finally rest and get around to see all my siblings and their children — the people I want to see. In general, I am looking forward to the rest of my life. 

    For more stories like this, check out our #WhatSheSaid and for more women like content, click here

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    Itohan Esekheigbe

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  • 9 Things You HAVE To Know If You Are Leaving Benin To Lagos

    If you live in Benin City and have ever considered coming to Lagos, then this is for you. Even if you live in Lagos, this is for you. Consider it a reminder of how things are in the state.

    1) You will fight for bus

    Yes, that thing where people form queues and enter buses quietly is not a Lagos thing. I am sorry in advance.

    We wish you well


    2) Street Hawkers

    They sell everything on the road in Lagos. From matress to camping gas, they have it all. You can even furnish your apartment while in traffic. Benin doesn’t have that, but I think it should.

    3) Price

    You will not see a thirty naira bus in Lagos. Just forget about it please. If you even want to see one for fifty naira, you have to pray.

    Us in church praying for #50 transport

    4) Ọwá


    You know how you have to just say “driver stop”, or knock on the bus and they stop? Do not try it here. A lot of Lagosians have coconut head, they will not hear at once. You have to use all your power and strength to scream “Ọwá”.

    Your face as you’re preparing to shout “Ọwá” in the bus


    5) You don’t share light

    There is no light time-table in Lagos. Take it as it comes dear. Whatever you see is yours.


    6) Saturday traffic

    Look, nobody likes enjoyment more than people living in Lagos. That is why every Saturday, they will block road. Wahala for who no get magic carpet because they are “cousin traffic ear and dear”.

    That’s their slogan

    7) Regular traffic

    Yes, there’s regular traffic and Saturday traffic. It’s absolutely terrible.

    8) Pepper

    There’s pepper in everything here. I’m sure you’d find peppered ice cream if you search hard enough.

    9) Turn-up spots

    The best part about Lagos is that there’s always enjoyment for everyone. No matter what you like, you’d find a spot for it.

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    Itohan Esekheigbe

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  • 7 Nice Places To Hangout In Benin City

    Benin City is one of the most historic towns in Nigeria. The city that plays host to the revered Eweka dynasty, Benin city has some fun spots if you ever realise that you need to unwind.

    Note down these 7 places, and never say we didn’t help you if you ever looking for nice places to hangout while in Benin-city:

    1. Nadia Bakery

    First, get yourself some chow. Nadia Bakery is located opposite the University of Benin, and you can stop by for dope AF doughnuts, bread, sausage and pasteries.

    2. Stop2Shop

    Stop2Shop shopping centre is also located opposite the UNIBEN main gate, along the Ugbowo-Lagos Road. There, you’ll find household items and other basic things that can be gotten in your shopping mall.

    3. Sams Penthouse Africa Lounge and Bar

    Sams Penthouse Bar is located off Ugbowo-Lagos Road, Benin. Here, you can turn up to the max on a typical Friday evening.

    Read: 12 Exotic Fruits and Vegetables That Grow Only in Jos

    4. Filmhouse Cinemas

    Located in Uselu, Benin, you can see the latest movies at Filmhouse cinemas, Benin in a very relaxed and serene atmosphere.

    5. Kada Plaza

    Located along the Old Sapele Road, Oka, Benin City, Kada plaza is arguably the most popular entertainment centre in Benin. There are a cinema and an arena in this plaza, all for your entertainment.

    6. Flowell Shopping Mall

    Also located in Uselu, Benin City, Flowell shopping mall sell a range of products, beverages and many other essential items.

    7. 40/40 Sports Bar

    40/40 Sports Bar is located along Adesuwa road, Benin city. Here, you can have drinks and just generally relax.

    Read: 19 Places In Port Harcourt That Will Definitely Confuse You

    Doyin Olagunju

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