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oluwadi · 2 years
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Black Lives Matter: Brazil
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oluwadi · 2 years
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https://www.worldmusicinstitute.org/lesfillesdeillighadad/
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oluwadi · 4 years
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the Benin Empire coat of arms was not messing around
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Intro to weaving: Week 3
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This week we are focusing on the rich and varied weaving traditions of west Africa.  There are numerous weaving traditions that have been developed and used throughout the African continent. The weaving technique that we will cover in this unit is the broad upright loom weaving technique used in southern Nigeria, Benin Republic and Cameroon. This technique was used to create numerous ritual, prestige and domestic textiles, that were used locally and exported throughout west and central Africa. Primarily ( often exclusively) women used this loom as opposed to the narrow strip loom that was exclusively used by men until the mid-late twentieth century. The prestigious Aso-Olona cloths used by the ogboni society of the Yoruba people are part of this tradition as are the blue and white textiles from the former Benin empire  that were exported to european traders in vast quantities. I studied weaving in Ogidi Ijumu at the the Nike center for art and culture under my teacher, master weaver Mrs Agnes Umeche ,who was born in the neighboring town of Okene a historic center for weaving arts.
Below: Mrs Agnes Umeche and her work
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 It is an honor  to be able to teach this art to students here in the United States. For now we are practicing using a modified handheld version of the loom made from sanded canvas stretchers. Apprentices would use a similar practice loom made from an upturned stool or calabash when they first started out.  
Below : A Yoruba woman setting an upright loom, Ihaka  and Jordan setting their practice looms.
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I am excited to see how the work they are doing translates to their larger pieces on a full sized loom. These traditions were once very widespread in Nigeria. In fact in the igbo village of Akwete all women were expected to weave. The Yoruba towns of Owo,Ilorin and Ijebu Ode and the Ebira town of Okene were also renowned for their textiles. Although this art is still practiced in Nigeria this particular type of weaving is becoming rarer as time progresses. It is my hope that places like the Nike center for art and culture continue to revive these arts in Nigeria. As an African American who most likely has roots in southern Nigeria learning this art form was a healing experience, one that felt like the reclamation of an ancestral skill that had been taken away by force. I hope to share that experience with my students. Be sure to stay tuned as we continue our journey through the work of african textiles. 
Below: More examples of students weaving on their practice looms
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Ivory Salt Cellar from Benin, Nigera dated to the 16th Century on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
Portuguese traders commissioned salt cellars and spoons, with the Oba’s (King of Benin) permission, to cater for European tastes. These were exquisitely carved and the hand of a certain Benin master craftsman is recognisable. The craftsman identified as the ‘Master of the Heraldic Ship’ invariably depicted four standing Portuguese bearing swords and shields. The fashion of salt cellar was almost mass produced and can be found in museums and collections over the world.
Photographs taken by myself
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Soldiers of the Benin Empire meet with Portugese envoys, some time in the early 16th century, from Osprey.
A 17th century Dutchman by the name of Olfert Dapper observed the Empire in great detail in his book Nauwkeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaansche Gewesten.
He wrote of the Empire with great praise and interest, remarking on both the splendour of the cities in the Empire and the martial power that the king (known as the ‘Oba’) could muster.
A well worth reading first hand account of one of Africa’s great empires of the early modern period.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Male Soldier, brass, Lower Niger (1455–1640), The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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An Igbo girl photographed in Nibo and noted as ‘Nwauko’ in Northcote Thomas’ photographic register, c. 1910-11.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Alụsị (divinity) compound, unknown Igbo community, probably in today’s Anambra State. The walls are painted with ùlì motifs usually done through commissioning women. Photographed by Tom Eighmy. University of Wisconsin.
“[E]ach time the [British colonial] administration captured a village in which any of the oracles was based, they took time to blow it up with modern explosives in the presence of people to demonstrate that these so-called supernatural agencies were mere figments of the people’s "primitive” and “prelogical” imagination. This treatment was meted out to all the prominent oracles in Iboland—the Long Juju at Arochukwu, Agbara at Ozuzu, and Igwe-ka-ala at Umunneoha.
“What this policy could not achieve, christian missionary propaganda and western education achieved. Here was another reason why the administration was an ardent champion of missionary enterprise and at times took the initiative in the establishment of schools. It is thus clear that the persistent drive against the so-called barbarous customs and beliefs of the native was in some respects an aspect of economic policy. Devotion to superstitious practices was a waste of time, of manpower and what is more, a misapplication of funds that could be more properly invested in economic development.”
– A. E. Afigbo (1970). “Sir Ralph Moor and the Economic Development of Southern Nigeria: 1896–1903.” Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria. Vol. V. No. 3. pp. 376–377.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Early 20th century postcard depicting what seems to be an Isim Ekpe masquerader of the Ebongo grade of the Ekpe society in Calabar. The tail (isim in Efik) represents the leopard which is what ékpè means in Efik as the spiritual symbol of the society. ‘Egbo’ is apparently the pidgin term for Ekpe.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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The Omu of Okpanam, whose name was not recorded, photographed by Northcote Thomas in 1912. Okpanam is an Enuani Igbo town near Asaba in Delta State, Nigeria today. The Omu [awe-mu] are titled women who control markets and are spiritual protectors to the Obi, the king, in Igbo communities west of the Niger River, typically among the Enuani, and in the past in Onicha (Onitsha) and Osomari on the east bank of the Niger River. There is one Omu in each community with the institution. The Omu work closely with diviners performing rites for the community and are the authorities over the opening of markets and resolving disputes within the market. The Omu depending on the community and period take titles typically reserved for men and also dress like men, as a consequence women who are post-menopausal are preferred for the role because such women in Igbo society could achieve the same status as men. As is custom in most communities, the Omu was not allowed to be married to a man, Omu were known to marry wives to assist them and have children for them. Colonialism greatly reduced the power of the Omu in the market and over society in general due to gender bias in the indirect rule system, colonialism was also partly the cause of the disappearance of the institution in some Igbo communities. Today there are many Omu who are still active in their roles.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Duties of the (Igbo) second burial (ịkwa ozu?) according to the European source, early 20th century. This is probably for a very prominent person. The photograph is also likely from today’s Anambra State.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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[Igbo] Dancers at Awka in the Onitsha Hinterland Between Niger and the Cross River
Albert F Calvert (1910) Nigeria and Its Tin Fields.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Umozo Sword from Benin, Nigeria dated around 1897 on display at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool
The sword was thought to be taken during the British military expedition against Benin, the “Punitive Expedition”, in 1897. Benin had retained it’s independence during the 19th century with its imperial family keeping a monopoly on the trade of palm oil, rubber and ivory.
Photographs taken by myself 2019
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oluwadi · 4 years
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Give Benin Back its Things
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Oba Ovonramwen
aka Idugbowa, aka Overami, aka we’re not gonna call him OVO because that’s disrespectful andalsofuckDrakedon��t@me
He ascended the throne in 1888, ruled until 1897.
So let me tell you about this guy and what those Colonising Heuxs did to him and his kingdom.
What happened was that Consul-General James Phillips, for economic reasons, wanted to annexe the Benin kingdom, depose the king and set in his place, an easily controlled native council. He sent a messenger to Ovonramwen asking for permission to visit.
Ovonramwen replied: [seen December 1896]
He didn’t have time to deal with him or really, any other white men; he was celebrating the remembrance of his father and customarily, avoided distractions.
Phillips, like most white men, did not care for local custom and could not handle no for an answer and decided to get the Oba’s attention by fire, by force. But the dumbass got himself killed on the way to Benin city which serves him right for trying to sneak in soldiers and weapons as porters, bands and luggage. Some Itsekiri chiefs had caught wind of it and the Benin kingdom was able to put together a strike force that surprised Phillips and took him tf out. And most of his people. The British were shook. If only that was the end of it…
February 1897, the British mounted a full-scale invasion; The Benin Expedition of 1897 cuz they were mad but they were gonna do it anyway. Special & hearty fuck yous to Harry Rawson & Ralph Moor for leading the fuckboi vengeance efforts.
Even though the invasion was resisted by the kingdom and its peoples, it eventually fell and ended in the annexation of the Benin Kingdom, the exile of Ovonramwen to Calabar and the massacre & looting of the city and his palace for ivories. Many ivories are still in private collections and British, American and German museums today including these famous ones
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Ovonramwen had managed to escape the massacre but eventually surrendered and was exiled to Calabar where he died in 1914. Benin had been without an Oba for 17 years until the installation of Oba Eweka II following his death.
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oluwadi · 4 years
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“Don’t throw away your suffering. Touch your suffering. Face it directly, and your joy will become deeper. You know that suffering and joy are both impermanent. Learn the art of cultivating joy. Practice like this, and you come to the third turning of the Third Noble Truth, the ‘Realization’ that suffering and happiness are not two. When you reach this stage, your joy is no longer fragile. It is true joy.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh (via aspiritualwarrior)
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oluwadi · 4 years
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