Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes

The story of a powerful West African kingdom & British imperial greed. The dispersal of the Bronzes and today’s debate about their future. Thu, 1 April 2021, 18:00 – 19:00 BST

Join the Royal African Society and the Centre of African Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), for the launch of LOOT - Britain and the Benin Bronzes by renowned former BBC journalist, Barnaby Phillips.

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?

Chair: Femi Oke - International journalist & co-founder of @moderatethepanel

Speakers:

- Barnaby Phillips, Author

- Enotie Paul Ogbebor, Visual artist and singer/songwriter

- Professor Nicholas Thomas, Director of the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

To pre-order a copy of the book before the event, please follow this link.

This event is in partnership with the Centre of African Studies and SOAS. It will be live-streamed via Zoom. The link for the Zoom webinar will be sent to all those who have registered via Eventbrite 2 hours before the stated start time.

Please be aware that Daylight saving time 2021 in the United Kingdom will begin on Sunday, 28 March at 01:00 AM.

Bio:

Barnaby Phillips spent over twenty-five years as a journalist. He was based for the BBC in Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and South Africa. He is the author of Another Man’s War: The Story of a Burma Boy in Britain’s Forgotten African Army, also published by Oneworld. He grew up in Kenya and Switzerland and now lives in London.