[MSN] FW: [AFRICOM-L] Tempers are high among Nigerians resident inChicago, United States of Amercia (USA) following a planned exhibition of 220 royal artifacts allegedly stolen from Benin Kingdomduring thecolonial and post colonial era.

Wed Oct 17 05:48:55 CEST 2007

-----Original Message-----
From: africom-l-bounces at list.africom.museum
[mailto:africom-l-bounces at list.africom.museum] On Behalf Of john mitsanze
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2007 5:34 PM
To: africom-l at list.africom.museum
Subject: Re: [AFRICOM-L] Tempers are high among Nigerians resident
inChicago, United States of Amercia (USA) following a planned exhibition of
220royal artifacts allegedly stolen from Benin Kingdomduring thecolonial and
post colonial era.

The planned display of royal artifacts from Benin
kingdom in Chicago should is an orchestration of
western plunder of African heritage. 

For us in Africa , we are treated to the most
humiliating experiences of our times. 

We  encourage African residents in Chicago and other
well wishers to document all African collections on
display and take a courageous step to sue in court for
the recovery of such collections. And oh yes , we will
need courageous lawyers and a global will to see  that
our heritage is back to its rightful owners.

Long live the Benin Kingdom .
May it find roots and continuity in Africa ,
We Cry for our lost heritage, Oh Africa,
The humble continent , remembered for its glory,
Yes, Yes, Yes Yes!
What an abomination, has the world lost its senses,
How can western world boast of African heritage ! 

That's a glory for Africa say the  true  sages !
A glory so great ,
It glowed to merge with heavens! 
And for this,say the sages,
Africa lost its sons to colonial purges!
Oh Cry thee Mother Africa ,Mother Africa wails,  
We wept! We Wailed aloud, the hills and mountains
wailed with us !

Day and night, we fought  
To protect our freedom and all therein,
Our blood flowed down to quench the thirsty soils,
The indiscriminate Colonial armies,
Commanded by infamous agents of colonial governments 
Justified every act of plunder,  
Oh yes We read their biased memoirs,
Full of pretense for their selfish ends ! 

Fight on,  fight on,  fight on for justice,
Yee sons and daughters of the glorious continent,
Fight on for your past glory , 
Redeem the present and future, 
Oh wait! My soull is so lonely walking the valleys ,
mountains , forest, oceans and skies,
Looking for my identity .

Stand up you over their , I mean you 
who says... its not my course after all!
Surely the great minds of Africa,
Boasting great honors of learned friends,
This agenda should not give you a peaceful sleep !    

Oh I do recall a comment of one unwise king,  
Who commanded a wailing villager put to death,
"He particularly disliked the wails and complains for
justice from the commoners !" 
No sooner had he done it, than more wails and
complaints arose ......
Soon the whole  kingdom was wailing.
The wails come into the royal house,for all shared the
same kinship.

The fight to redeem African heritage is not for
Nigeria alone..its for all nations !    

  John Baya Mitsanze   

--- Carol H Kaufmann <ckaufmann at iziko.org.za> wrote:

> 
> Congratulations Ton on stating a view that  presents
> Africa in a
> positive light!
>  
> We certainly do subscribe to ICOM standards and
> endeavour to take
> meticulous care of our collections - from
> acquisition to  documentation
> , conservation, storage and exhibition. Ironically,
> affirmation  of our
> competence in this area has come from  former
> Colonial  powers (or
> trading partners) that hold magnificent collections
> of African  art -
> museums in France, Holland and Switzerland. Since
> 1999 the Iziko South
> African National Gallery has hosted three
> exhibitions of  irreplaceable
> treasures of African art, (including  Benin bronzes)
> from European
> museums. We were delighted that these countries
> acknowledged that our
> facilities and  muselogical status  could match
> required  international
> (European) standards. 
> 
> 
> Regards
> 
> Carol Kaufmann
> Curator of African Art
> Iziko South African National Gallery.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: africom-l-bounces at list.africom.museum
> [mailto:africom-l-bounces at list.africom.museum] On
> Behalf Of MSN (Ton
> Cremers)
> Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007 4:46 PM
> To: africom-l at list.africom.museum
> Subject: Re: [AFRICOM-L] Tempers are high among
> Nigerians resident
> inChicago,United States of Amercia (USA) following a
> planned exhibition
> of 220royal artifacts allegedly stolen from Benin
> Kingdomduring
> thecolonial and post colonial era.
> 
> Let's hope discussing repatriation will not again
> lead to statements
> that Western museums can take better care of
> collections. I have not
> forgotten that a curator in Kenya did say so last
> year. If this were
> true - statistics show there is a very limited truth
> in this - this is
> caused by economic iniquity. 
> 
> Western museums suffer from insider thefts,
> robberies, thefts during
> opening hours, burglaries, fires, floods,
> conservation malpractices,
> loss during transports, wear and tear etc. We have
> maintained the Museum
> Security Mailing list now for almost 11 years, and
> (too) many instances
> of damage to and loss of museum objects in western
> museums have been
> reported. I advise all African museums not to fall
> in the trap that
> western museums can take better care of collections.
> In some respects
> they can, but in many other respects they are very
> equal to African
> museums.
> 
> Most collections of African cultural property in
> western museums were
> achieved during the colonial era and 19th century
> and early 20th century
> acts of war. If western museums (and governments)
> are not willing to
> return objects to the source countries they might at
> least start paying
> a reasonable loan fee. 
> 
> Let's not forget: many museums in western countries
> constitute a very
> important economic factor, even those museums in the
> U.K. that do not
> charge an entrance fee. The British Museum welcomes
> some 6 million
> visitors per year; just realize what that means for
> the London and U.K.
> economy. Many of those visitors come to the museum
> (and perhaps even to
> London) to see the Benin bronzes. 
> 
> The same goes for many other western museums. How
> much money will the
> new Branly Museum bring Paris?
> 
> It really is time, while the discussions about
> repatriation continues,
> that these museums start paying the source countries
> for making profit
> out of looted collections.
> 
> Ton Cremers
> toncremers at museum-security.org
> +31 6 242 246 20
> 
> 
> 
> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: africom-l-bounces at list.africom.museum
> [mailto:africom-l-bounces at list.africom.museum]
> Namens Lois Irvine
> Verzonden: donderdag 20 september 2007 19:51
> Aan: africom-l at list.africom.museum
> Onderwerp: Re: [AFRICOM-L] Tempers are high among
> Nigerians resident in
> Chicago, United States of Amercia (USA) following a
> planned exhibition
> of220 royal artifacts allegedly stolen from Benin
> Kingdomduring the
> colonial and post colonial era.
> 
> Having just viewed the exhibition in Vienna while at
> ICOM and also
> attended a commemorative programme on Slavery,
> Abolition and
> Emancipation:  Research,
> 
> Resources and Education in Caribbean Museums
> supported by UNESCO, by the
> Commonwealth Association of Museums (with funding by
> The Commonwealth
> Foundation, London) and hosted by The Antiquities,
> Museums and Monuments
> Corporation of The Bahamas, the subject of
> repatriation and reparations
> are at the forefront of my recent activities.
> 
> I hope to get to Chicago to see the exhibition again
> assuming it goes
> forward.  The topics are extremely difficult ones to
> resolve but perhaps
> the
> 
> occasions can be used to move them closer to
> resolution by discussion,
> negotiation and generosity of spirit.  We know that
> NMMC of Nigeria has
> been
> 
> involved and perhaps they can also be involved in
> discussions in
> Chicago.
> 
> Lois Irvine
> Commonwealth Association of Museums
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "MSN (Ton Cremers)"
> <museum-security at museum-security.org>
> To: <msn-list at te.verweg.com>
> Cc: <africom-l at list.africom.museum>;
> <Museum-L at home.ease.lsoft.com>
> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 12:43 AM
> Subject: [AFRICOM-L] Tempers are high among
> Nigerians resident in
> Chicago,United States of Amercia (USA) following a
> planned exhibition
> of220 royal artifacts allegedly stolen from Benin
> Kingdomduring the
> colonial and post colonial era.
> 
> 
> > Tension Mounts Over Benin Artifacts in U.S.
> >
> >
> > Daily Champion (Lagos)
> >
> >
> > NEWS
> > 19 September 2007
> > Posted to the web 19 September 2007
> >
> > By Joseph Omoremi
> > North
> >
> > Tempers are high among Nigerians resident in
> Chicago, United States of
> 
> > Amercia (USA) following a planned exhibition of
> 220 royal artifacts 
> > allegedly stolen from Benin Kingdom during the
> colonial and post 
> > colonial era.
> 
=== message truncated ===

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