Henry Akubuiro
In 1997, the dramatist, Lookman Sanusi, wrote a play predicated on the looted Benin artifacts by the British during the reign of Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, their impending return being the talking point then. It premiered at Goethe Institute, Lagos, starring veteran actors.
The play was to be staged round Lagos schools to educate them on that aspect of Nigerian history. Corona School, Lagos, even adopted it as their end-of-the-year play, as the playwright himself directed the play 20 years ago. 
Decades after the oft talked about restitution of the looted Benin artefacts began, it wasn’t until 2021 that concrete steps taken by the Federal Government on that began yielding dividends, with Germany and other European countries agreeing to return the treasures.
Recently, “Okukor”, a Bini Bronze, was returned to Nigeria by Cambridge University, UK, raising the hope for more things to come. For those not fully cognisant of the history, perhaps the staging of Sanusi’s play, Ovonramwen Nogbaisi: How Those Bini Treasures Got Away, at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, by students of the Fountain School, Lagos, as part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations, would refresh their memories.
From the drummers to the thespians, the students were in charge of the performance, and it was a beauty to watch them interpret the role of culture clash, imperialism and hubris. The stealthy movements of the khaki clad British rep stealing the treasures on stage made everyone laugh at his guiles as the plot teed off. Likewise the chants of “Give us back our stolen bronze” by the Bini folks.
The performers’ costume was modelled after Bini traditional dressing: bare chested chiefs with wrappers tied round their waists; Oba Ovonramwen with a regal ensemble; maidens with beaded ankles and net tops. Frenetic dance steps and luring drums charged the atmosphere. “Ojuju is coming”, which echoed from time to time, was an innuendo for the imperialist.
The play had a fair share of rage on both sides. The uncompromising Oba and his warriors suppressed the British army and its black subalterns. The British regrouped and overran the Benin Kingdom, and the looting spree that followed was a sore point in history.
Mrs Faith Eweniwe, the Headteacher of the Fountain School, Lagos, said it was a good thing to stage the play as a way of celebrating our cultural heritage.
“Students have started forgetting our history. So we have to bring some events that happened in the past that they ought to know. So we decided, being the grand finale of the 50th anniversary of the school, to do something different to make it more spectacular,” she said.
She was aware the looted Bini treasures were being returned voluntarily now. “So this performance is a way of letting the world know how these treasures were stolen in the first place,” she said, adding that it took less than two months for the cast to rehearse the play.
Reverend Adekunle Olaitan explained that the choice of the play was partly informed by its topicality. He said the Benin treasures were stolen, and it was appropriate to call a spade a spade, for “ignorance is not an excuse under the law.”
Right now, he said, “the history of this looting is important, especially in Nigeria of today where the value of history, until more recently, has been lost. History has always been a rallying point.”
Reverend Olaitan, while thanking God for guiding the school for 50 years, said, “It has been a wonderful adventure of excellence in nurturing, caring, educating and raising generations of children, of which I am one. I happen to be among the first generation of pupils of the Fountain School, founded by my mother, the late Mrs Olufunmilayo Olaitan, a renowned educationist.”
The cast include: Narrator – Inioluwa Alaka; Ovonramwen – Arinze Obiogbolu; Uzazaopkpo – Chidozie Nnadi; Ologbosere – Kayomide Apalowo; Iyase/Native/Carver – Adedamola Adesina; Galiway – Deniel Uzoruwu; Gen Moor – Chimmamanda Madu / Chidozie; Osayende – Fareed Alabi; Small white man; Carver – Kobi Nwosu; Chief – Khalid Muhammad; Chief/Carver/Native – Jayden Morondeia; Carver/ Native/ whisperer – Otito Obasi; Carver/ Native – Sophia Odoh; Carver – Titomi Olusanya; Chief – Jide Chukwu Ejim, among others.