THE AFRICAN RENAISSANCE - BENIN

THE AFRICAN RENAISSANCE - BENIN

The powerful ancient Benin kingdom, situated in the forest area of southern Nigeria, 106 miles southeast of Ife. Had a thriving culture represented in all sorts of bronze carvings. The kingdom reached its maximum size and artistic splendor in the 15th and 16th century. For a long time the Benin bronze sculptures were the only historical evidence dating back several centuries into the West African past, and both the level of technical accomplishment attained in bronze casting, as well as the monumental vigor of the figures represented, were the object of great admiration. In the thirteenth century, the city of  Benin was an agglomeration of farms enclosed by walls and a ditch. Each clan was subject to the oba (king). The Benin oba employed a guild of artisans who all lived in the same district of the city. Bronze figures ordered by the king were kept in the palace. The empire flourished until 1897 when the west invaded. The numerous commemorative brass heads, free-standing figures and groups, plaques in relief, bells and rattle-staffs, small expressive masks and plaquettes worn on the belt as emblem of offices; chests in the shape of palaces, animals, cult stands, jewelry, etc. cast by Benin metalworkers were created for the royal palace. The heads were placed on the altars of kings, of brass caster corporation chiefs and dignitaries. Occasionally, a brass head was surmounted by a carved ivory tusk engraved with a procession of different obas. The altar functioned as a tribute to the deceased and a point of contact with his spirit. Using the bells and rattle stuffs to call the ancestor’s spirit, the oba offered sacrifices to him and to the earth on the altar. The majority of figures represented court officials, equestrian figures, queens, and roosters. Of objects in ivory: most elaborately decorated human masks, animals, beakers, spoons, gongs, trumpets, arm ornaments, and large elephant tusks covered with bands in figured relief. The representations of these objects served above all to exalt the king, the queen mother, the princes and royal household, army commanders, shown with their arms and armor and their retainers (huntsmen, musicians), or alternatively depicted important events. When we think of these, we usually have this idea of idols and evil spirits. But that was far from the truth. A lot of them was for aesthetics and cultural symbolism. And it’s not just in Benin. Every African culture has theirs. But of course they were taken away from us; both physically and psychologically.

The first and most important invariant you need to understand is that we have not been savages and primitives forever. Even the biblical and Quran historical account of black ancestry described a rich and powerful black heritage. For instance, Nimrod was the grandson of ham (Noah’s son) and son of Cush was described as “a mighty hunter before the Lord [and] .... began to be mighty in the earth" extra biblical traditions associated him with the tower of Babel which led to his reputation as a king. He started his kingdom at Babylon. Babylon later reached its zenith under Nebuchadnezzar. They might be a rebellious people to God. But they lived in a thriving advanced civilization.

So, you can see that what we need is a “REBIRTH”. An African renaissance. That is why we feel so frustrated with modern realities. Because we have been there before. We need to rediscover Africanism in the lights of modern globalization, civilization and also classic antiquity, identity and African traditions.

KULENGA AFRICA RENAISSANCE SERIES