Also of interest:
Giving Back Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The empire, the kingdom, the city and the people that produced those exquisite Bronzes, carved ivories and wood works, clay and iron sculptures are not in oblivion, but subject of ongoing restitution and repatriation requests. Osaisonor Godfrey Ekhator-Obogie on the history of a questionable collection and the efforts for its repatriation.
Missing in Benin
Just before New Year 2020/2021, they began appearing on Dresden advertising spaces and remained hanging all over the Dresden city area until 11 January – 200 posters declaring that the five Benin Bronzes from the Museum für Völkerkunde collections were missing. The person behind the campaign, initiated by the Ethnographic Collections of the Free State of Saxony, was Emeka Ogboh. In our magazine August, he explained what his intentions were – we re-publish his interview here.
Spoken through the Buffalo (Bull-)Horn
Precisely one year ago, news about the Capitol riots in Washington, D.C. went viral around the globe. Among videos and images of thousands of Trump followers, conspiracy disciples, right-wing militias and Alt-Right activists, large numbers of people in flamboyant costumes dominated the media, most of all Jake Angeli, a.k.a. the “Q-Shaman,” armed with a horned fur headdress and a US flag tied to a spear. Frank Usbeck already addressed this mishmash of cultural and historical references in a SKD blog contribution back in the day – we’re republishing his blog post today.