‘Creativity on the Continent Has Always Been a Continuum’

African artefacts looted, stolen, and forcefully taken belong to the African communities they were taken from in the Africa continent, Victor Ehikhamenor argues. He says, ‘In discussing restitution, we must also let the world know that creativity on the continent has always been a continuum, there was no break.’

Written by Wale Lawal

Dec 8, 2022

Photography by Simi Vijay / THE GUARDIAN

Editor’s note: This essay is available in our print issue, A New Chapter for African Artefacts?. Buy the issue here.

The movement to reclaim Africa’s stolen art and cultural artefacts is constantly evolving. Requests for reparations have been repressed by European museums and governments since the early stages of post-colonial political independence played out across Africa. Over the years, Western countries have suggested their reluctance to return these artefacts is driven by a lack of suitable storage facilities on the continent. To which, visual artist Victor Ehikhamenor, wrote via email, ‘who told them all of the works were supposed to be “looked after”?’

Ehikhamenor’s recent work includes a 12-foot installation he staged at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the United Kingdom earlier this year, to commemorate the victims of Britain’s 1897 raid on the ancient Benin Kingdom. During the raid, British soldiers burned ruler, Oba Ovonramwen’s palace and looted thousands of Benin royal objects. Ehikhamenor, who hails from Edo State and whose ancestral community is the Benin Kingdom, explained that the West’s storage argument for withholding African artefacts is flawed because not all objects were meant to be stored. ‘Many of the works created by our ancestors were supposed to be ephemeral,’ he said. ‘They served the immediate purpose and were meant to return to the earth and regenerate afterwards. Why would anybody want to preserve a certain wooden funerary mask meant for burying a dead person?’

European attitudes towards repatriation requests from African governments and other African stakeholders in the cultural landscape may have changed in recent years.

However, the restitution conversation is still often presented from the perspective of Western museums being ‘forced’ to return plundered artefacts. According to Ehikhamenor, ‘the West have a tendency to dwell in their colonial hangovers when it comes to creative endeavours in their former colonies.’ Despite the debilitating impacts of colonial plunder on the cultural heritage of African societies, Ehikhamenor felt it was important to stress that African creativity never stopped. Like many contemporary artists, he benefitted from the resilience of post-colonial artists and artistry. ‘Growing up,’ he explained, ‘I was surrounded by all forms of art that inspired me and influenced me. Then encountering the works of Nigerian modernists like Bruce Onobrakpeya, Uche Okeke, Demas Nwoko, I always felt I had more than enough to feed on.’

Still, in mainstream discourse, little is typically mentioned about those on the continent who are clamouring to receive the returned artefacts or the local artists who have been denied significant artistic and cultural reference due to unavailability of these artefacts. ‘The symbolic importance of their return to the rightful owners, beside the artists, is immeasurable,’ Ehikhamenor said. ‘Can you imagine looting the religious artefacts that helps strengthen the Christian faith from the Vatican?’

Our full interview continues below.

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