Tagged: Nigeria

  1. afrodiaspores: Ayrson Heráclito (b. 1968), “Nanã,” 2011 Ayrson Heráclito’s artistic work analyzes the complexity of values pertaining to African heritage in Brazil, while laying bare the colossal size of the historical and conceptual gap regarding the subject…[I]n the last two decades this artist developed a series of works using organic materials present in the culture of Bahia, such as sugar, charque [jerked beef], and dendê [palm oil]. Based on various data (historical, sociological, economic, etc.), his work proposes reflection on several cultural issues pertaining to African-Bahia. Paul Christopher Johnson writes, Naná Buruku is a female orixá associated with the primordial depths of the cool mud at the bottom of the sea and underground. She is among the first of the pantheon, said to have been present during creation itself, and in some myths is portrayed as the consort of Oxalá (or Obatala, another name for the same sky father and human creator). But because of her great age she is also linked with death and plays an important role in dispatching the dead to orun, the otherworld of the ancestors…Naná originally appeared in the myths of the West African Fon, a neighbor and rival to the Yoruba city-states, where she was the mother of the sacred twins Mawu and Lissa, who appear in the pantheon of Haitian Vodou. Thus her appearance in the Brazilian Candomblé of the Ketu nation reveals the flexibility of the orixa pantheon and its ability to assimilate new—albeit, in this case, very old—sources of power.

    afrodiaspores:

    Ayrson Heráclito (b. 1968), “Nanã,” 2011

    Ayrson Heráclito’s artistic work analyzes the complexity of values pertaining to African heritage in Brazil, while laying bare the colossal size of the historical and conceptual gap regarding the subject…[I]n the last two decades this artist developed a series of works using organic materials present in the culture of Bahia, such as sugar, charque [jerked beef], and dendê [palm oil]. Based on various data (historical, sociological, economic, etc.), his work proposes reflection on several cultural issues pertaining to African-Bahia.

    Paul Christopher Johnson writes,

    Naná Buruku is a female orixá associated with the primordial depths of the cool mud at the bottom of the sea and underground. She is among the first of the pantheon, said to have been present during creation itself, and in some myths is portrayed as the consort of Oxalá (or Obatala, another name for the same sky father and human creator). But because of her great age she is also linked with death and plays an important role in dispatching the dead to orun, the otherworld of the ancestors…Naná originally appeared in the myths of the West African Fon, a neighbor and rival to the Yoruba city-states, where she was the mother of the sacred twins Mawu and Lissa, who appear in the pantheon of Haitian Vodou. Thus her appearance in the Brazilian Candomblé of the Ketu nation reveals the flexibility of the orixa pantheon and its ability to assimilate new—albeit, in this case, very old—sources of power.

  2. opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival. opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival.
    opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival. opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival.
    opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival. opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival.
    opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival. opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival.
    opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival. opallynn: Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and BeninPhotographs by Phyllis Galembo  Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance. Links with Carnival When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.   Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations. infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band. Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators. Click here for some history on Carnival.

    opallynn:

    Incredible masquerade costumes from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Nigeria and Benin
    Photographs by Phyllis Galembo 

    Disguised as animals, spirits, ancestors, or just as ordinary human beings, African masquerade performers delight and amaze audiences of all ages. Masqueraders enact well-known legends and stories that sometimes recount a group’s history and at the same time express its social values, using music, dance, and drama to comment on life and entertain people. Sometimes these performances are part of serious religious ceremonies: masqueraders can represent spirits who may possess the dancers, giving them special knowledge which they express in their performance.

    Links with Carnival

    When people were taken from Africa to the America’s and Caribbean they took their spirituality & traditions with them. This can be seen with African American Hoodo, Cuban & caribean Santeria, Palo, Brazilian Candomble, Obeah & Haitain  Voodo.  

    Masquerade culture may have a big impact on Carnival celebrations.

    infact In Carnival terms, playing mas is shorthand for the word “masquerade”. It means to dress up in costume or, like Fox Carnival Band, to carry standards and parade as part of a mas band.

    Playing mas comes from Trinidad, where it originated during slavery. For the six weeks of the European Carnival, slaves were permitted to dress up and play musical instruments - and they developed clever ways to satirize both their condition and its perpetrators.

    Click here for some history on Carnival.

    (via haitianculture)

  3. The Kingdom of Benin (Edo culture)

    With this video you get a feel for what the Edo culture in Benin Kingdom was like and neighboring similar Yoruba culture. it is a wonderful capture of the sights and sounds of Benin kingdom. It is very unique and is a way of saying this culture still lives.

  4. The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria. The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.
    The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.
    The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria. The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.
    The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria. The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.
    The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria. The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.
    The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria. The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.
    The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria. The Fall of Benin On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation. The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin. The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.

    The Fall of Benin

    On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British. On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named “punitive expedition” totally humiliated the nation.

    The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin Bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin.

    The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.

  5. blackacrylic:

    The Nigeria-Biafra War 1967-1970 [BBC Documentary] Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

    The Biafra war is one of many tragic emblems of colonialism. What you had in the naming of “Nigeria” by British writer and journalist Flora Shaw was the amalgamation of British resources. If attention was given to the people of Nigeria it was to further fracture tribal relations and maintain systemic disunity and distrust. The Biafra War was born out of this systemic disunity and distrust. During the war the British government heavily armed the Nigerian Army with the objective of keeping the Nigerian Republic in tact. The French government supplied Biafra with light weapons in order to support the break up of Nigeria - whose potential dwarfed that of France’s Francophone states. The blockade imposed by the Nigerian government meant that Biafrans did not have adequate weapons to fight the war or the food to survive. Despite the many tragedies that engulfed Biafra, the Civil War endured for three years as Igbo people fought on in pursuit of independence from the Nigerian federation. Hypocritically, the British government supplied weapons to the Nigerian government to annihilate Biafra, whilst British relief organisations supplied famine relief to Biafra and British journalists branded and packaged the humanitarian crisis for foreign consumption. 

    (via theeducatedfieldnegro)

  6. oubah: Queen Amina of Zaria is renowned for her military strategies and exploits. Click here for more oubah: Queen Amina of Zaria is renowned for her military strategies and exploits. Click here for more
    oubah: Queen Amina of Zaria is renowned for her military strategies and exploits. Click here for more oubah: Queen Amina of Zaria is renowned for her military strategies and exploits. Click here for more

    oubah:

    Queen Amina of Zaria is renowned for her military strategies and exploits.

    Click here for more

  7. revengeofthemuse: World heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, wearing the Nigerian brown and white striped Agbada, shouts to the crowd of youngsters who met him on his arrival in Lagos, Nigeria. (June 1, 1964).

    revengeofthemuse:

    World heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, wearing the Nigerian brown and white striped Agbada, shouts to the crowd of youngsters who met him on his arrival in Lagos, Nigeria. (June 1, 1964).

  8. Head of an Oba [king] (Early 16th century), Nigeria, Benin, Brass and iron. Head of an Oba [king] (Early 16th century), Nigeria, Benin, Brass and iron.

    Head of an Oba [king] (Early 16th century), Nigeria, Benin, Brass and iron.

  9. Idia: The First Queen Mother of Benin The kingdom of Benin (in present-day Nigeria) was plunged into a state of turmoil at the end of the fifteenth century when oba Ozolua died and left two powerful sons to dispute succession. His son Esigie controlled Benin City while another son, Arhuaran, was based in the equally important city of Udo about twenty miles away. The ensuing civil war severely compromised Benin’s status as a regional power and undermined Benin City’s place at the political and cultural center of the kingdom. Exploiting this weakness, the neighboring Igala peoples sent warriors across the Benue River to wrest control of Benin’s northern territories. Esigie ultimately defeated his brother and conquered the Igala, reestablishing the unity and military strength of the kingdom. His mother Idia received much of the credit for these victories as her political counsel, together with her mystical powers and medicinal knowledge, were viewed as critical elements of Esigie’s success on the battlefield. To reward and honor her, Esigie created a new position within the court called the iyoba, or “Queen Mother,” which gave her significant political privileges, including a separate residence with its own staff. As mother of the king, Idia and later iyobas wielded considerable power. Until recent times, the iyoba, who bore the oba’s first son, had no other children and devoted her life to raising the future ruler of the kingdom, a role she was destined to play even before her own birth. Queen Mothers were therefore viewed as instrumental to the protection and well-being of the oba and, by extension, the kingdom. Indeed, obas wore carved ivory pendant masks representing the iyoba during ceremonies designed to rid the kingdom of malevolent spiritual forces. Click here for more

    Idia: The First Queen Mother of Benin

    The kingdom of Benin (in present-day Nigeria) was plunged into a state of turmoil at the end of the fifteenth century when oba Ozolua died and left two powerful sons to dispute succession. His son Esigie controlled Benin City while another son, Arhuaran, was based in the equally important city of Udo about twenty miles away. The ensuing civil war severely compromised Benin’s status as a regional power and undermined Benin City’s place at the political and cultural center of the kingdom. Exploiting this weakness, the neighboring Igala peoples sent warriors across the Benue River to wrest control of Benin’s northern territories. Esigie ultimately defeated his brother and conquered the Igala, reestablishing the unity and military strength of the kingdom. His mother Idia received much of the credit for these victories as her political counsel, together with her mystical powers and medicinal knowledge, were viewed as critical elements of Esigie’s success on the battlefield. To reward and honor her, Esigie created a new position within the court called the iyoba, or “Queen Mother,” which gave her significant political privileges, including a separate residence with its own staff.

    As mother of the king, Idia and later iyobas wielded considerable power. Until recent times, the iyoba, who bore the oba’s first son, had no other children and devoted her life to raising the future ruler of the kingdom, a role she was destined to play even before her own birth. Queen Mothers were therefore viewed as instrumental to the protection and well-being of the oba and, by extension, the kingdom. Indeed, obas wore carved ivory pendant masks representing the iyoba during ceremonies designed to rid the kingdom of malevolent spiritual forces.

    Click here for more

  10. nileearls: Walls of Benin The Walls of Benin were a combination of ramparts and moats, called Iya, used as a defense of the capital Benin City in present-day Edo State of Nigeria. It was considered the largest man-made structure lengthwise, second only to the Great Wall of China and the largest earthwork in the world. With more recent work by Patrick Darling, it has been established as the largest man-made structure in the world, larger than Sungbo’s Eredo. It enclosed 6,500 km² of community lands. Its length was over 16,000 km of earth boundaries. It was estimated that earliest construction began in 800 AD and continued into the mid 1400’s.

    nileearls:

    Walls of Benin

    The Walls of Benin were a combination of ramparts and moats, called Iya, used as a defense of the capital Benin City in present-day Edo State of Nigeria. It was considered the largest man-made structure lengthwise, second only to the Great Wall of China and the largest earthwork in the world. With more recent work by Patrick Darling, it has been established as the largest man-made structure in the world, larger than Sungbo’s Eredo. It enclosed 6,500 km² of community lands. Its length was over 16,000 km of earth boundaries. It was estimated that earliest construction began in 800 AD and continued into the mid 1400’s.

    (via kilele)

  11. Angelo Soliman (ca.1721-1796) A  man of remarkable intelligence, intelligence that won his freedom. He spoke six languages fluently and could write three of them fluently as well. He was also a master swordsman, war hero,  chess specialist,  navigation expert, concert composer, and a tutor to royalty. He may have been the subject of Mozart’s popular opera The Magic Flute. Soliman was considered one of the most learned people of his generation. Angelo Soliman born in Africa in 1720/21 either to the Wandala or Mandara, a Muslim ethnic group in the Mandara Hills of Northern Cameroon but also in Bornu State Nigeria. His original name, Mmadi Make, is linked to a princely class in the Sokoto State in modern Nigeria. Around the age of 7 He was taken captive as a child and arrived in Marseilles as a slave, eventually transferring to the household of a marchioness in Messina who oversaw his education. Out of affection for another servant in the household, Angelina, he adopted the name Angelo and chose to celebrate September 11, his baptismal day, as his birthday. After repeated requests, he was given as a gift in 1734 to Prince Georg Christian, Fürst von Lobkowitz, the imperial governor of Sicily. He became the Prince’s valet and traveling companion, accompanying him on military campaigns throughout Europe and reportedly saving his life on one occasion, a pivotal event responsible for his social ascension. After the death of Prince Lobkowitz, Soliman was taken into the Vienna household of Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, eventually rising to chief servant. Later, he became royal tutor of the heir to the Prince, Aloys I. A cultured man, Soliman was highly respected in the intellectual circles of Vienna and counted as a valued friend by Austrian Emperor Joseph II and Count Franz Moritz von Lacy. In 1783, he joined the Masonic lodge “True Harmony”, whose membership included many of Vienna’s influential artists and scholars of the time, among them the musicians Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Josef Haydn as well the Hungarian poet Ferenc Kazinczy. Lodge records indicate that Soliman and Mozart met on several occasions. It is likely that the character Bassa Selim in Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio was based on Soliman. Eventually becoming the Grand Master of that lodge, Soliman helped change its ritual to include scholarly elements. This new Masonic direction rapidly influenced Freemasonic practice throughout Europe. Remains dishonored in death While Angelo was cultured and dressed in the latest European fashions in life, death was not so kind to him. Emperor Francis II, who came to power in 1792, had Angelo skinned upon his death in 1796 when he died of a stroke strolling the streets of Vienna.  His body was taken to an anatomical theater where he was skinned and his skeleton was removed. His internal organs were then interred. His skin was given to the sculptor Franz Thaller who stretched it over a wooden model and then added stuffing to fill it out. The Emperor dressed the skin in what he thought was African garb and kept him in his wonder cabinet, a curio room. Eventually, Soliman was added to a display on Africa with a little girl, some animals, and an ex-zoo keeper who was also African. The display was destroyed in 1848 when a bomb being used to quell rioters hit the building where the display was stored and the display, thankfully, burned. A more detailed biography can be found here.

    Angelo Soliman (ca.1721-1796)

    A  man of remarkable intelligence, intelligence that won his freedom.

    • He spoke six languages fluently and could write three of them fluently as well.
    • He was also a master swordsman, war hero,  chess specialist,  navigation expert, concert composer, and a tutor to royalty.
    • He may have been the subject of Mozart’s popular opera The Magic Flute.
    • Soliman was considered one of the most learned people of his generation.

    Angelo Soliman born in Africa in 1720/21 either to the Wandala or Mandara, a Muslim ethnic group in the Mandara Hills of Northern Cameroon but also in Bornu State Nigeria. His original name, Mmadi Make, is linked to a princely class in the Sokoto State in modern Nigeria. Around the age of 7 He was taken captive as a child and arrived in Marseilles as a slave, eventually transferring to the household of a marchioness in Messina who oversaw his education. Out of affection for another servant in the household, Angelina, he adopted the name Angelo and chose to celebrate September 11, his baptismal day, as his birthday. After repeated requests, he was given as a gift in 1734 to Prince Georg Christian, Fürst von Lobkowitz, the imperial governor of Sicily. He became the Prince’s valet and traveling companion, accompanying him on military campaigns throughout Europe and reportedly saving his life on one occasion, a pivotal event responsible for his social ascension. After the death of Prince Lobkowitz, Soliman was taken into the Vienna household of Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, eventually rising to chief servant. Later, he became royal tutor of the heir to the Prince, Aloys I.


    A cultured man, Soliman was highly respected in the intellectual circles of Vienna and counted as a valued friend by Austrian Emperor Joseph II and Count Franz Moritz von Lacy. In 1783, he joined the Masonic lodge “True Harmony”, whose membership included many of Vienna’s influential artists and scholars of the time, among them the musicians Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Josef Haydn as well the Hungarian poet Ferenc Kazinczy. Lodge records indicate that Soliman and Mozart met on several occasions. It is likely that the character Bassa Selim in Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio was based on Soliman. Eventually becoming the Grand Master of that lodge, Soliman helped change its ritual to include scholarly elements. This new Masonic direction rapidly influenced Freemasonic practice throughout Europe.

    Remains dishonored in death

    While Angelo was cultured and dressed in the latest European fashions in life, death was not so kind to him. Emperor Francis II, who came to power in 1792, had Angelo skinned upon his death in 1796 when he died of a stroke strolling the streets of Vienna.  His body was taken to an anatomical theater where he was skinned and his skeleton was removed. His internal organs were then interred. His skin was given to the sculptor Franz Thaller who stretched it over a wooden model and then added stuffing to fill it out. The Emperor dressed the skin in what he thought was African garb and kept him in his wonder cabinet, a curio room. Eventually, Soliman was added to a display on Africa with a little girl, some animals, and an ex-zoo keeper who was also African. The display was destroyed in 1848 when a bomb being used to quell rioters hit the building where the display was stored and the display, thankfully, burned.

    A more detailed biography can be found here.

  12. Judge Hatchett find her African roots while helping a troubled youth change his criminal ways.

    To trace your DNA and find your roots, visit www.africanancestry.com.

    This video gives A brief overview of some the achievements of the west African tribes she’s from. Lol at the mispronunciation of Hausa.

  13. nok-ind: antisquared: Nok Terra Cotta Head (500 B.C.–200 A.D.) nok-ind: antisquared: Nok Terra Cotta Head (500 B.C.–200 A.D.)

    nok-ind:

    antisquared:

    Nok Terra Cotta Head (500 B.C.–200 A.D.)

  14. afroklectic:

    West Africa: BBC’s An African Journey - Part 1

    ‘Explore an Africa that is in my view is too often forgotten, but too important to ignore.’

    Jonathan Dimbleby’s  Africa consists of more than 50 countries. Each one is unique. With its population of more than a billion, Africa – where humans originated at least 100,000 years ago – is the most culturally and ethnically diverse continent on the planet.

    In this episode he visits Mali, Ghana and Senegal.

  15. aleyma: Yoruba kingdom of Ife, Torso of a king, early-mid 16th century (source) aleyma: Yoruba kingdom of Ife, Torso of a king, early-mid 16th century (source)

    aleyma:

    Yoruba kingdom of Ife, Torso of a king, early-mid 16th century (source)

    (via yearningforunity)