“I hope there’s nothing wrong”
she asked in concern from the other end of the line.
“Should there be?” I enquired
in half bemusement as I silently pleaded with the female guide with my eyes for
patience.
Continuing, I responded, “Everything’s
fine. I just decided it was high time I visited because it’s
something I’ve been wanting to do”.
My sister let out a chuckle from the
other end of the phone and went on to explain,
“This one wey you dey visit
there na im make me ask because I know say person no just dey wake up visit
museum for Nigeria!”
Aha! Imagine that! A huge grin
slowly enveloped my face as the realization of the cause of her question hit
me.
“You know it’s the same thing
I wondered” quipped the museum guide who must have gotten the gist of our
conversation by the time I had exchanged pleasantries and hung up the phone.
“Usually,
most of our Nigerian visitors are those based outside the country, usually in
the company of their children who are curious about their heritage”, she
went on to add. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for belonging to what it
seems is a league of extraordinary home-based Nigerians. (Insert smug
face)!
True confession! You see, I had
been economical with the truth to my sister about the reason for the museum
visit. Even though I had been to the Jos, Lagos and Abuja Museums and despite
having been born and bred in Benin City, I had never visited the Benin museum.
The renewed interest and commitment to visiting the museum was piqued by an
Instagram post by Victor Ehikamenor, renowned Nigerian artist about the new
photography exhibit of S.O.Alonge, pioneer Nigerian photographer and royal
court photography to father and son, Oba Akenzua II and Oba Erediauwa. So, on one
of my trips home in 2018, I finally visited the museum. With that confession
off my chest, it would seem that my self-ascribed membership of that special
league might not hold well under close scrutiny. Well, you be the judge!
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| Interior of Oba Ovoranmen's palace burnt during the 1897 punitive expedition. Notice the looted bronze plaques on the ground. Four thousand of these pieces would later find their way to major European and American museums. Photo Credit: www.qz.com |
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| Group of six British men presumably soldiers, part of the Benin punitive expedition in 1897 with their looted Benin ivory and bronze art. Photocredit: British Museum |
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| A 1976 mosaic tile mural by Yusuf Grillo at the entrance of the Benin Museum |
The museum consists of three floors with the ground floor naturally dedicated entirely to Benin art. Most of the art currently on display
are copies of the original works. One would have made at least two 360-degree turns around the exhibits before realising that you are right back at the beginning. Clever move! A replica of the Oba’s shrine is also on
display in an enclosed space built from plywood with small glass covered
openings for viewing. An all glass enclosure would have been preferable for obvious
reasons. The curvilinear architecture of the museum makes for an interesting
viewing experience.
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| Map of the King's Square (Ring Road) indicated with the yellow circle. Photocredit: www.researchgate.com/eghosa |
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| Google map of King's Square (Ring Road). Photocredit: Google Images |
Now in retrospect, the location
of museum and difficulty in accessibility may have contributed in some measure
to my not visiting all this while. As earlier stated, the Benin museum is located
smack in the middle of the Kings Square, the heart of the city. You see, the
city planners had decided to locate the museum within some walking distance
from the Oba’s palace, laudable design objective which must have been a genius
idea in the 70s when the city had few vehicles. Can you think of those lovely urban designs that look fantastic on paper yet are
impractical in reality? Well, the King’s Square (Ring Road) is one of those with at least six major arterial roads emanating from its core. The roads are Akpakpava Street, Airport Road, Sapele Road, Sakponba Road, Forestry Road and Mission Road. The traffic situation can
best be described as a nightmarish and the sometimes maniacal driving in Benin City is
the stuff action movies are made of! The chaotic traffic and inherent danger serve as
a needless deterrent to pedestrians who may just want to pop in on a whim as is
the case with National Museum at Onikan, Lagos.
 |
| Aerial view of King's Square (Ring Road). The National Museum is located within the green oval. If you look closely, you'll see a red circular structure. That's it!! Photocredit : Art by Oye (Instragram @artbyoye |
The museum interior
was recently renovated in a collaborative effort among the Edo State
Government, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and the
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. The preferred colour for most
museum interiors is white to serve as a neutral background for the art. Even
though the interior was brightly lit, I found the green-coloured board panelling
utilized most distracting and in competition with the exhibits. As with most
Nigerian museums, I was not allowed to take photographs which is really a big shame as upon inquiry, a
tenable reason could not be proffered!
Currently, the second floor is the highlight of the museum’s exhibits. On display are the photographs and memorabilia of one of Nigeria’s earliest foremost photographers, Solomon Alonge. The early 20th century photographs are currently on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and most of them can pass for 21st century pictures. The guide narrated how some visitors have unwittingly come across pictures which they were unaware existed of grandparents and even those of great grandparents. The emotions accompanying such pleasant discoveries are better imagined.
The third floor named after one of the museum’s first curators, Samson Eborieme contains antiquities from various parts of the country. Most museums in Nigeria operate a similar template dedicating a section to antiquities such as farming and fishing implements, masks, old currency such as manila, cowries, etc.
Back to the second floor. Who is this illustrious
Bini indigene that warranted an unprecedented collaboration with the Smithsonian
Museum not only for the loan of exhibits of his works but also the extensive
interior renovation of the Benin Museum?
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| Self portrait of Chief Solomon Alonge, self taught photographer and pioneer of Nigerian photography 1942 Source: Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington. https://africa.si.edu/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/alonge/royal-court-photography/ |
Solomon Osagie Alonge (1911 – 1994) was born in
Benin City. At the age of 14, he migrated to Lagos in search of greener
pastures where he picked up apprenticeship as a photographer. Upon his return
to Benin City in 1930, he quickly earned for himself a reputation as a
thoroughbred professional photographer. His Ideal Studio naturally became a
Mecca of sorts for the Bini elite yearning for his unique photography style and
he was also the wedding photographer of choice then. What stood him apart was
his innovative approach to photography in combination with his excellent people
skills and trustworthiness. He learned how to mix his own chemicals with the
help of instruction booklets from Kodak & Ilford. Alonge would also retouch
and hand colour his photographs and extensively utilized props, backdrops,
flooring, furniture, etc.
 |
| The Ideal Studio with visitor and Volkswagen Beetle, Benin City. Photograph by S.O. Alonge. 1942. Photocredit : Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington https://africa.si.edu/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/alonge/royal-court-photography/ |
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| REUNION! The 85 year old Okaiyobogha of Benin Kingdom, Chief J.O. Ajari stands by his photograph on display at the National Museum, Benin City in 2018. Photocredit and image description: Victor Ehikamenor (Instagram: @sozaboy) |
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| Madam Stella Osarhiere Gbinigie at 16. Mother of Godwin Obaseki, Edo State Governor Hand coloured photography by S.O. Alonge. 1950 Photocredit: Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington. This is picture is also on loan at the National Museum, Benin City. https://africa.si.edu/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/alonge/royal-court-photography/ |
With his photography pedigree, Alonge was the natural
choice as the first royal photographer to the court of Omo n'Oba n'Edo Ukuakpolokolor,
Oba Akenzua II (reign 1933 – 1978). Alonge was saddled with the privilege of the
preservation and documentation of the Benin Kingdom history and tradition for
posterity and he continued as royal court photographer when Oba Erediauwa
succeeded his father.
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| The Earl of Plymouth (right) visiting the Oba of Benin, Oba Akenzua II who holds the returned coral regalia of his grandfather, Oba Ovonramwen. On the Oba's right is Sir John Macpherson, Governor-General of Nigeria. Photograph by S.O. Alonge 1938. Photocredit: Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. https://africa.si.edu/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/alonge/royal-court-photography/ |
So how did these photographs get worldwide acclaim. According to the museum guide at the Benin Museum, Queen Ohan, the last wife of Oba Akenzua II is credited with being the source of exposure
for Alonge's pictures. She was reportedly friendly with a foreign lady who had
access to the international art world. On one of her visits to the United Kingdom, Queen Ohen shared the royal court photographs taken by Chief S.O. Alonge with this friend. The rest as they say is history.
Learn more about the legacy of Chief S.O. Alonge
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| Queen Ohan Akenzua, the last wife of Oba Akenzua II during a trip to London, England. Photographer unknown. 1956 Photocredit: Smithsonian National Museum of African Art https://africa.si.edu/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/alonge/royal-court-photography/ |
Currently
a new museum, the Benin Royal Museum, for the permanent display of Benin
artworks from European and Nigerian museums is being proposed. The new museum
will be a collaborative effort with both local and foreign partners, key
amongst which is The Benin Dialogue Group. The Group formed in 2007 is a
multi-lateral collaborative working group that brings together museum representatives
from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom with key
representatives from Nigeria-the Edo State Government, the National Commission for
Museum and Monuments as well as some members of the Royal Court of Benin. Major US and
French Museums that hold Benin artefacts are not part of the Benin Dialogue Group.
The British Museum boasts the second
largest collection of Benin Kingdom art after the Ethnological Museum in Berlin.
The Benin Dialogue Group’s major terms of reference
include
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Fundraising to support appropriate conservation and
security conditions for the artefacts in Benin City.
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Legal framework to ensure their immunity from
seizure in Nigeria.
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Guarantee from the Nigerian government of the return
of the art loans after a fixed term of about 3 years
Restitution of the stolen works is outside the
terms of reference though this will likely be considered in the future.
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| Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki (front row, middle) with members of the Benin Dialogue Group and other stakeholders at the July 2019 meeting of the Group in Benin City. Photocredit: www.smb.museum |
The Edo State Government commissioned renowned British architect, David Adjaye in
conjunction with a local partner, Agram Architects to design the new museum. David
Adjaye is no stranger to designing museums. One of his critically acclaimed
projects is the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and
Culture, Washington. Other museums include UK Holocaust Museum, Latvian Museum
of Contemporary Art, Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory (MEMO).
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