Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
One of
the results of colonialism is the taking of important objects of art or history
from their original country or area of origin.
So, if you want to see the famous bust of Nefertiti, you have to go to
Berlin, despite how completely it seems to stand for Ancient Egypt. Of course, Egypt wants it back; of course the
Neues Museum basically says no. Perhaps,
the bust isn’t the best way to start this review as one could argue that the transfer
was far more legal than the stealing of Benin Bronzes by the English, but it
raises the same question, a question that I have difficultly answering – what should
happen to artifacts that were taken or stolen, should they be returned. On one hand, yes, you want to shout, of course. But part of me will always remember how excited
and happy my student was to see an Egyptian artifact at the Penn Museum. The artifact had the name of a pharaoh we had
been reading about. I have never seen a
student so excited. And there is no way that a English class at a
community college is going to get a funded trip to Egypt. Perhaps items of great, cultural worldly
value should be held in common – of course this means sharing the 200 plus
editions of the first Folio of Shakespeare’s works in all country as well as say
private ownership for some things should not be an option.
Thankfully,
Phillips book is not about such an total question. Phillips concerns himself with the Benin Bronzes
and other cultural artifacts, which were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin
(today part of Nigeria) by the British.
The book is part art history, history, and travelogue as well as an examination
of the debate and struggle to reclaim what was stolen. (Note: the Republic of Benin
is a difficult country.)
If you
have seen Marvel’s Black Panther, you have seen a Benin Bronze; it’s in the
scene with Killmonger in the museum, though Killmonger declares the work is
from Wakanda. While this opens a host of
questions including why attribute the work of art to a fictional kingdom,
especially when those white people who first saw it claimed it was done by
Egyptians or Europeans, it does tie into the questions that Phillips is examining. (It is interesting to note that the Dora Milaje
are based on the Kingdom of Dahomey’s, now the Republic of Benin, all woman
regiment).
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| Benin Bronze |
Philips
starts with the British Museum and the arrival of Prince Gregory Akenzua to see
the works. This included a trip to the stores to see those items that were not on
display. We also get Benin artist Victor
Ehikhamenor’s experience viewing the items on display. From there, Phillips takes the reader to how
the Bronzes and other works most likely were made as well as the cultural and
religious importance of the items. We then
travel back in history to the first meeting between Europe and Benin as
well as the events leading up to and
including the destruction of the kingdom at the hands of the British. The reader is not simply presented with the
debate over where the artworks should be, the reader is presented with the
complete context and history of the debate.
While
Phillips appears to side with Nigeria and Benin (and how could you not), he
does present a very even handed approach.
He doesn’t just look at the museums which house the looted works, but
also those works that remained in private hands, even in dealing with descendants
of those looters. Some of these descendants
have returned the works, some wished to but put finically stability of the
family first (and considering the current state of the world, I’m not sure how
moral I would be either). He looks at
the influence that the quest for return of the works has had on the works of Nigerian
artists, in particular film makers as well.
In tackling the question of safety of the looted works if returned to Nigeria,
he does relate the stealing of cultural works in Nigeria itself; however, he
also points out and details such robbery occurring in European museums,
questioning exactly what is meant by safe.
He looks at the impact of films like Black Panther on the question as
well as the impact of the recent protests.
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| Queen Idia mask, stolen from the Oba |
Phillips’
writing is engrossing and he is an
excellent story teller. He
possess an ability to look at the issue from various views and points, and to
let the reader experience that view with him.
The book is a great read about a very important issue and event.
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