Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

As part of the Alaghodaro celebrations in Edo State as well as to mark the six years tenure of office as Governor of the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has launched a digital online museum with repository of Benin artefacts.

He described the website as a platform with the largest digital collections of Benin artefact.

Obaseki who launched the online platform at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City, said, “We suggested having a catalog of all Benin artwork scattered around the world a while back. Today, I am so glad and fulfilled that five years on, we now have the digital records of 5,246 pieces of Benin and Edo artworks in 131 locations across the globe. This is a feat to be proud of.

“Digital Benin is now the largest Museum in the world for Benin collections. It’s a virtual Museum which will tell you anything you need to know about Benin history and future. Go to the website and every piece of Benin artwork located anywhere in the world can be seen. You can see the artworks, the meaning and the locations.

“This is a significant milestone we have achieved. This project is very significant to the people of the kingdom. We thank Prof. Gregory Akenzua and members of the Benin Dialog Group who, over the last two decades, have kept on the pressure and the dialogue on how to restitute and return the artworks taken away after the invasion of 1897.

He explained further, “I met the Benin Dialog Group having this debate and discussion for the last 18 years and later joined them to ensure we achieve the aims of the group.

“We joined the group in 2017, and in 2018, we went outside the country to join the conversation and address the issues confronting the return of the art work.

“The invasion of the Kingdom destroyed our history which was unbroken for 1,000 years. It suddenly got broken and it’s taken us over a century to begin to understand our place in the world.

“For more than 100 years, our artworks have been with strangers who do not understand the import, significance and importance of these works.

“These works serve as our ambassador all over the world and the concern for us is ownership, as these are our properties taken from us, at least let it be returned so that we will have a legal title.”

He added: “This success is all about collaboration and the achievement gladdens our heart. I appreciate our European partners who have been really understanding, particularly the German, French and the Italian governments. The future is about technology and the Digital Benin rests on a technology platform.”

The governor also said the state government was ready to continue to work with partners for continuation and sustainability of the Digital Benin website, noting: “We have designed a new cultural district for Edo State. Edo and Benin City is the natural cultural capital of West Africa. Within this cultural district, we would have a minimum of three museums and we already have one which will be upgraded while two others (The Benin Royal Museum and EMOWAA).

“The cultural district which is going to be sited on over 10,000 hectares of land will have other facilities like hotels, spaces for offices, center for young artists, among others.

“I want to acknowledge a young Edo personality, Tracy Eboigbodin, who won a master-chef competition in Italy, making Edo and Nigeria proud for her achievement in Europe.”

Delivering his welcome address, Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Bamidele Obaitan, thanked Obaseki, for his visionary leadership style.

He noted that the occasion of the launch of Digital Benin provided an opportunity to share with the people the remarkable progress made by the administration of Governor Obaseki in the arts and culture space.

“This project is a platform for people to know more about the rich cultural heritage of the Benin people and its artifacts scattered around the world,” he added.

In her keynote address, the Director, Museum am Rothenbanm Kulturer and Kunste der Welt-MARKK, Prof. Dr. Barbara Plankensteiner, commended Obaseki and the Oba of Benin for working hard to recover the stolen Benin artifacts scattered around the globe.