British pensioner returns Benin Kingdom Bronze after 117 years

Two statues from among thousands of works of art looted by British soldiers in the 19th century have been returned to Nigeria, prompting calls for other "stolen" treasures to be repatriated.
For more than a century, the artefacts from the "Benin Bronzes" collection had been in the family of retired medical consultant Mark Walker, whose grandfather was involved in a 1897 British raid in which they were taken.


But on Friday, the statues -- depicting a fabled ibis bird and the traditional monarch's bell -- were given back to the Oba (King) of Benin, Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I, at a ceremony attended by royal officials and local dignitaries.
Walker said he decided to return the statues to Nigeria in September last year after learning of their history, in part from his grandfather's diary from the time, which described the treasures as "loot".
"That gave me the idea that perhaps they should go to the place where they will be appreciated for ever," he said in Benin City, 240 kilometres (150 miles) east of Lagos.
"I'm very proud to be part of this because it is clearly seen as an historic occasion.
"I had no idea it would be regarded with such importance and it is very gratifying to me to have been able to play some small part in the history of the restoration of the bronzes because I think more will come back."
The tale of the precious artefacts is one of intrique and tragedy. It began when nine British officers were killed while on a trade mission to Erediauwa's grandfather, ruler of the then independent kingdom of Benin.
The British reaction was fierce. Walker's grandfather was part of a British military deployment to the kingdom to avenge the deaths of the officers. The overwhelming show of strength left several thousand local people dead and the city set ablaze, while the oba was forced into exile.
The royal palace was looted, resulting in the removal of hundreds of artworks, including the Benin Bronzes, which showed highly decorative images of the oba and his courtiers from centuries earlier.
Most of the ornate bronzes -- in fact melted down and refashioned brass from bracelets and other objects offered by Portuguese traders in the 15th century -- have been at the British Museum in London ever since.
They include a 19th century depiction of the head of the oba, who has divine status for the Edo people, and 16th century plaques taken from the walls of the royal palace, showing court life.


Nigeria has previously requested the return of the Benin Bronzes but without success.

AFP.

Nigerian 'Shuga' actor 2nd in Mr World 2014 pageant

 

Nigeria's Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ikubese won second place in the  Mr World 2014 pageant held in Torbay on Sunday behind Nicklas Pedersen from Denmark, a carpenter by profession.

The 23-year-old, a qualified carpenter who hails from Brondby, a suburb of Copenhagen, aspires of starting his own carpentry firm someday. He would also like to try his hand at acting. Pedersen defeated 45 other contestants including Emmanuel.

Emmanuel is an actor by profession and mostly known for starring in the award winning MTV series "Shuga".

The third position was bagged by Jose Pablo Minor from Mexico. He is also currently working as an actor.

Do you think Spain will win their remaining group matches?

The question on the lips of so many soccer fans is what really happened to the world defending champion of the FIFA World Cup, Spain in last night's match against The Netherlands? They were walloped 5-1 by a superb Dutch team inspired by Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben.
Both players grabbed a double each and de Vrji.

Of course there are many factors that could be traced to the failure of Del Bosque's World &European champions. The defeat was Spain's worst in about 51-years, when they suffered a 6-2 loss to Scotland in 1963. Their recent was 1-0 loss to South Africa in an international friendly match in Johannesburg in November 2013.

Del Bosque's back four of Sergio Ramos, Pique, Azpilicueleta and Jordi Alba were below par. Pique looks rusty and undeciding in most of his decisions to go for the ball or not. His poor and sloppy play cost Spain the second goal when Arjen Robben brilliantly controlled the ball with his left foot, reminiscent of the great control and finish of Dennis Bergkamp. Pique was lost in thoughts as he watched Robben use his left foot to track the ball down and rushing Ramos didn't have much to do but just throw himself helplessly. Robben was definitive and clinical with his finish blasting the ball past the once reliable Iker Casillas.

Casillas was in his worst element as he contributed to three of the goals against his team.

From the midfield area, Xavi, Iniesta and Silva lacked penetration as passed the ball without much effect. Iniesta was uncharacteristically guilty of making wrong passes in several occasions. Xavi seemed lost in the game at some point.
There were few balls for Diego Costa and he made sure Spain the lead when he was hacked inside the box for Alonso to score.

Well I can't rule out Spain from not winning their next two games against Australia and Australia. They are capable of it and have done it before.

Del Bosque needs to a surgical operation on the team and inject some life into his team.

Do you think Spain will win their two remaining group matches?