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This
site is dedicated to disseminating information about the history,
arts and the people of the ancient Edo (Benin) Kingdom. Benin is one
of the oldest traditional African Kingdoms in West Africa, which
still exist today.
Much of what is mostly known about Benin today is its rich arts and
crafts that adorn many European and other museums around the World. During the colonial era, Europeans looted a lot of the sacred and
popular arts of the Benin people. Efforts to retrieve some of these
artworks continue till today.
The purpose of this website is to share with the world the rich
history, artistic and cultural heritage of the Benin (Edo) Kingdom
and its people of Southwestern Nigeria. The King of the Edo (Benin)
Kingdom is known as Oba, a term used interchangeably with “King”
throughout this website.
The Benin Kingdom must not be confused with the modern Republic of
Benin (formerly Dahomey), to the immediate west of Nigeria; at
independence, many African leaders adopted the names of former
ancient African Kingdoms and empires as the name of their present
countries out of their sense of history and pride in the African
past. For example, Kwame Nkrumah adopted the name “Ghana” for the
former British colony called the Gold Coast, even though modern
Ghana was not physically part of the famous ancient West African
empire of Ghana. In the case of modern Benin Republic, however, the
influence of ancient Benin Kingdom did, indeed, extend to its
present physical location. The extant Benin Kingdom is in the
present Edo State of Nigeria.
Welcome aboard in exploring the wonders of ancient Benin (Edo)
Kingdom which had relationships with the countries of Europe and the
Americas long before European exploration and colonization of
Africa.
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