OBA OF BENIN, leader of the Benin kingdom in the southern part of modern-day Nigeria (no relation to the Republic of Benin); considered the divine incarnation of a god, possessing great power and wisdom. Depictions of the Oba are evidenced in hundreds of bronze plaques and statues (the so-called “Benin Bronzes”) stolen by the British Empire from the royal palace of Benin in 1897, after which they were sold and distributed to museums worldwide.
Prior to colonialism Benin was one of the oldest and most sophisticated kingdoms in West Africa, with developed governmental hierarchies and belief systems, rich cultural and artistic production, advanced infrastructure, diverse linguistic forms, and extensive trade relations since the tenth century. The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and custodian of the Edo, Igbo, and Yoruba people, governing matters of war, trade, taxation, and ceremony. The Benin Bronzes depict the Oba as a man, and usually centralized within the frame; the Oba is also typically surrounded by attendants, and is the largest of all the figures, towering above the rest in a crown and a tunic of red coral beads—all of which serve to symbolize the Edo’s veneration of the Oba, as well as his power and divinity.
In 1897 a conflict between a group of Beninese soldiers and British colonial forces resulted in large-scale violence, death, and the seizure of the kingdom, forcing Oba Ovonramwen into exile. British forces looted and ransacked the kingdom, divesting it of thousands of artworks and valuable objects. In 2023 the Nigerian government formally issued a presidential decree asserting that “all artifacts must be delivered to the Oba of Benin, who exercises the rights as original owner. This covers the ones already repatriated and those yet to be repatriated.” The current Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II (born October 20, 1953) henceforth has assumed ownership of his ancestors’ looted objects, and MOWAA (Museum of West African Art) is in the process of regaining and housing the bronzes, as overseen by the EMOWAA Trust, a Nigerian nonprofit organization. This signals a welcome development in the discourse of cultural exploitation and restitution, drawing attention to the remaining thousands of looted artifacts in the possession of colonizing institutions.