FREE CLASS
Benin Bronze-Making Class in New York City!
The Restitution Study Group is thrilled to announce the launch of our Benin Bronze-Making Class, beginning January in New York City!
This transformative opportunity is made possible through a reparations payment generously contributed by a slave money heir. We give thanks to God and the ancestors for inspiring this act of justice and consciousness. We also extend an open invitation to others to join this vital mission of restitution and healing.
Participants in this class will learn the ancient and celebrated art of Benin bronze casting. The bronzes created will become part of the permanent collection of the Benin Kingdom Museum Franchise, a sustainable cultural education institution under the Afrodescendant Trust Fund.
Learn more about our mission and support this cause at http://www.theADTF.com.
Let’s create art, history, and justice together.
New Film
Justice Pilgrimage: Reparations Leader Documents Benin Bronzes Controversy in Washington, D.C.
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, Executive Director of the Restitution Study Group, a 24-year-old New York City-based reparatory justice organization, recently visited Washington, D.C. on a mission to pray for justice for enslaved ancestors, truth, and the future of Afrodescendants. The visit was in anticipation of an upcoming decision by the US Supreme Court to review a writ of certiorari challenging the Smithsonian’s transfer of 29 Benin bronzes to Nigeria.
Farmer-Paellmann tours the controversial Benin bronze exhibit displaying 8 of 9 bronzes “on loan” at the Smithsonian. She highlights hidden and misleading information in the museum captions and carries the spirit of her enslaved ancestors to the Supreme Court with hope that justice will prevail.
The journey to D.C. is highlighted in a new video series entitled “The Benin Bronzes Chronicles,” edited by Tylon Washington, with the first episode, Journey to Justice, now available for viewing here:
NEW BOOK RELEASE
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, Et Al. v Smithsonian Institution
Explore the landmark legal battle over the transfer of 29 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. This book is a commemorative copy of the “Petition for Writ of Certiorari” challenging the Smithsonian’s actions, emphasizing the bronzes’ significance to descendants of enslaved Africans and advocating for their retention in the U.S. The petition underscores that the Smithsonian, as a trustee for the American public, should not make such decisions without a public hearing. Priced at $16.19 in memory of the start of chattel enslavement of Africans in what became the USA, this compelling petition is now available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/ar9TuZE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Black Group Brings Benin Bronze Case Against Smithsonian to US Supreme Court
On May 28, 2024, the Restitution Study Group, Inc., a New York based reparatory justice organization led by Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, officially filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC. The petition seeks to address significant legal questions surrounding the Smithsonian Institution’s recent actions regarding the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes.
“This case challenges the power of the Smithsonian to independently create its own art repatriation policy without even a public hearing or Congressional approval. We are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if the Smithsonian has unilateral and arbitrary power to give America’s art and science collection to foreign countries even where large numbers of Americans, such as U.S. descendant of enslaved people, claim a close and intimate connection with the art objects,” said Bruce Afran, attorney for the petitioners.
The bronzes are ancient relics from a collection of as many as 10,000 made with metal manilla ingots paid to Benin Kingdom slave traders in exchange for the ancestors of Farmer-Paellmann and other descendants of enslaved Africans. DNA links Farmer-Paellmann and others represented in the case to Benin kingdom princes and nobles.
The petition raises three pivotal questions:
1. Jurisdiction Over Repatriation: Whether the Smithsonian Institution’s repatriation of artworks to foreign states under an Ethical Return policy without following the rulemaking and public hearing processes mandated by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the courts.
2. Standing of Descendants of Enslaved Africans: Whether descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States have Article III standing to challenge the Smithsonian’s repatriation of 29 Benin Bronzes, which were created from metal manilla ingots used by Western slave traders in the purchase of enslaved persons from the Kingdom of Benin.
3. Mootness of the Case: Whether the lower courts erred in declaring the case moot given that nine of the Benin Bronzes have had their title transferred to Nigeria but remain in the United States on long-term loan, along with other Bronzes still under U.S. title but potentially subject to future repatriation.
The Restitution Study Group argues that these actions by the Smithsonian Institution bypass the necessary legal frameworks and fail to consider the historical and cultural significance these artifacts hold for the descendants of enslaved Africans.
“We need permanent access to these relics because we were sold away from our African homelands, culture, and customs — these bronzes are our link to learning who we are. They are the embodiment of our enslaved ancestors,” said Farmer-Paellmann.
This petition is a critical step in ensuring that repatriation policies are conducted transparently and legally, respecting both historical context, full provenance and the rights of affected communities.
The Restitution Study Group is in ongoing discussions with a number of other stakeholder institutions in the US, UK and Germany about their respective Benin Bronzes.
“This case speaks to our struggle globally to retain access to our cultural heritage as we Benin kingdom peoples are not just in Nigeria, and were not just held as chattel in the United States, but in the Caribbean as well as South and Central America too. We all stand together in support of the Restitution Study Group in this case,” said Esther Xosei, UK based reparationist and coordinator-general of the Stop the Maangamizi Campaign.
“My ancestors were the first sold by the Benin kingdom to the Portuguese for the bronze metal in the 1500’s and the last in 1888. There is no ethical return policy until our voices are heard on this matter,” says Sheila Camorati of Brazil, a descendant of Benin kingdom captives residing in Germany and working in collaboration with the Restitution Study Group.
For further information or to schedule an interview with Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, Esther Xosei, Sheila Camaroti or legal counsel Bruce Afran, please contact Bruce Afran at 609-454-7435 or via email at bruceafran@aol.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Restitution Study Group Takes Corporate Complicity and Slavery to Cannes with Explosive New Film
New York, NY – May 19, 2024 – The Restitution Study Group (RSG) is set to make waves at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival with their groundbreaking film, Dry Bones: Corporate Complicity and Slavery. The short documentary film, financed by a Facebook fundraiser, will be screened in the International Cellphone Cinema Showcase on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the Eden Hotel, 3pm. This eye-opening documentary delves into the dark history of corporate involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and its lingering effects on the descendants of enslaved Africans.
Dry Bones exposes major corporations, including Citigroup, Bank of America, Aetna Incorporated, and JPMorgan Chase, for their historic and ongoing roles in slavery. The film presents compelling evidence that these companies have not only benefited from the enslavement of African people but some have also misled the public by filing false slavery era disclosure reports. These reports are required by laws in approximately 15 states and municipalities across the United States, mandating that companies disclose their connections to slavery to do business with the governments.
The Restitution Study Group has been at the forefront of the fight for slavery reparations and transparency from these corporations. Dry Bones bolsters their claims by revealing how these companies have systematically deceived consumers and shareholders, violating state consumer fraud laws and securities regulations. The documentary provides incontrovertible proof of the ongoing harm inflicted on the descendants of enslaved Africans and underscores the urgent need for corporate accountability and reparative justice.
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, founder and spokesperson for the Restitution Study Group, emphasized the significance of this film: “The public deserves to know the truth about the deep-seated connections these corporations have to slavery. Dry Bones is not just a film; it’s a call to action for justice and transparency. We demand that these companies come clean and take responsibility for their actions.”
Last year, the Director Tylon Washington, Farmer-Paellmann and the RSG won two awards: Best Film for Social Purpose and 2nd Place for Short Film in 2D from this competition founded by Professor Karl Bardosh of NYU where he is a maverick in teaching Cellphone Cinema since 2009 — a class on how to shoot a film using a cellphone.
The screening at Cannes marks a pivotal moment in the movement for slavery reparations, shining an international spotlight on an issue that has been too long ignored. The Restitution Study Group invites the public, media, and industry stakeholders to attend the screening and join the conversation about corporate complicity in slavery and the fight for reparations.
Dry Bones – Corporate Complicity In Slavery
Logline: An 18th Century burial ground is unearthed on modern-day Wall Street filled with the bones of enslaved Africans. A young woman wages a cutthroat battle to reveal the role that existing corporations played in slavery and to make them pay. This is the documentary.
Director/Executive Producer: Tylon Usavior Washington
Writer/Executive Producer: Deadria Farmer-Paellmann
For more information about the film and the Restitution Study Group’s ongoing efforts, please visit http://www.rsgincorp.org or contact:
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann
Executive Director
Restitution Study Group
Email: deadriafp@gmail.com
Phone: 917-365-3007
About Restitution Study Group:
The Restitution Study Group is a dedicated advocacy organization committed to uncovering and addressing the historical and ongoing injustices of slavery. Through research, education, and activism, RSG works tirelessly to secure reparations and promote truth and reconciliation for the descendants of enslaved Africans.
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WEBINAR REGISTRATION
Saturday, April 27, 2024
12p -1:30p ET
Zoom Webinar
Out of an abundance of love and a need for clarity and unity in our shared goal for slavery reparations, we invite you to a Benin Bronze film screening and Q & A for the Lineage Based Community! All are welcomed.
Register here in advance for this webinar.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RESTITUTION STUDY GROUP DELIVERS AFRODESCENDANT BENIN BRONZE OWNERSHIP CLAIM ON FLOOR OF UNITED NATIONS, GENEVA
Geneva, Switzerland – April 18, 2024 – Today, Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely of Harlem, USA, and Antonio Isuperio of Brazil, representing the Restitution Study Group, delivered a compelling statement at the United Nations, urging action on the ownership and management of the Benin bronzes. The statement was delivered during the Arts and Culture Panel Discussion at the 3rd session of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent in Geneva, Switzerland. This session, which commenced on April 16th, will continue until April 19th.
The Restitution Study Group’s statement outlined five key points:
Recognition: Emphasizing the slave trade origin of the Benin bronzes, calling for global acknowledgment of this historical context.
Inclusion: Advocating for the inclusion of Afrodescendants in the global management of these cultural relics.
Ownership Rights: Asserting Afrodescendants’ rights to ownership of the Benin bronzes.
Provenance Research: Proposing the implementation of the PFPAD protocol for provenance research, considering the slave trade origin of the Benin bronzes and all African artifacts to prevent repatriation to slave trader heirs and ensure protection of the moral ownership rights of Afrodescendants.
Healing Dialogue: Encouraging dialogue between Nigeria, the Benin kingdom, and Afrodescendants on the issue of the slave trade Benin bronzes for mutual understanding and healing.
They also announced the forthcoming establishment of the Benin Kingdom Museum in Harlem USA — a place for cultural heritage education, atonement and healing. http://www.theBKM.org
The Restitution Study Group’s impassioned plea at the United Nations reflects a global call for justice, recognition, and healing concerning the ownership and legacy of the Benin bronzes. ###
For media inquiries, please contact:
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, J.D., M.A.
Executive Director
Restitution Study Group
www.rsgincorp.org
Director, Tylon “Usavior” Washington
Written By, Deadria Farmer-Paellmann
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Afrodescendants Express Their Claim To Benin Bronzes At United Nations Event And Demand To Be Heard
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – At an official side event of the United Nations Human Rights Commission’s Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, on Saturday April 13, 2024, at 10 am ET, global descendants of enslaved Africans forcefully stated their ownership claim to the famous Benin Bronzes through the Restitution Study Group (RSG). The event featured a screening of the new director’s cut of the 2023 Cannes Award-winning short film “They Belong to All of Us: The Benin Bronze Slave Trade Story.” The film includes new footage from the global campaign for the Afrodescendant interest in and rights to the iconic relics and recognition by descendants of Benin kingdom captives.
The program opened with a prayer poem from Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely, Harlem, New York’s Ambassador to the United Nations: “Oh God, that name greater than ourselves…we behold in the spirit of our ancestors. That life. We with the terrific. Pain of horror. And it’s left with us to this day.”
RSG’s Executive Director Deadria Farmer-Paellmann revealed that she and other panelists have DNA linking them to the once-powerful Benin Kingdom in modern Nigeria. “Most of us are literally from the Benin Kingdom, which means these bronzes belong to us on more than one level. Many of us descend from the Edo women the Benin kingdom admits to exclusively enslaving for 150 years,” she stated.
The 16th to 19th century brass bronzes were cast using “manillas” – brass currency paid to the Benin Kingdom for captured Africans sold into the transatlantic slave trade. Today, as many as 10,000 bronzes exist and are worth as much as $30 billion. “Our ancestors paid for them with their lives and we pay for them with our suffering today,” said Farmer-Paellmann. “Yet our connection has been ignored for over a century by museums who still refuse to include the slave trade origin of the brass relics in exhibit captions.”
She explained that some museums, like the Smithsonian Institution, German and British museums, are gifting the slave trade bronzes to slave trader heirs from the Benin kingdom — they get to benefit twice from their ancestors’ crime against humanity.
Tylon Washington, Director of the screened film, expressed shock over learning this history: “I used to see the bronzes, but had no idea of this history” he said. This same sentiment was shared by other panelists.
British reparations movement leader (RSG UK/Caribbean Mobilzer), Esther Xosei, is depicted in the film outside the Horniman Museum in London: “I grew up blocks away from the Horniman Museum and visited often. I never knew my connection to these bronzes until now. The museum exhibit captions still do not reveal the slave trade origin,” she said.
Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons has joined RSG’s effort and last month took fellow Black legislators to view the largest Benin Bronze collection in the United States, at Chicago’s Field Museum. “The museum director said he had never gotten such a request from African Americans,” Ammons stated. “Because you have these artifacts that actually belong to our people, you have a responsibility to allow our people access to them. And we must get a seat at the table to manage these relics and change the narratives to tell our side of the story.”
RSG Brazil/Germany Mobilizer Sheila Camarotti highlighted the continued struggle of Afro-descendants in her home country of Brazil. “Slavery ended in 1888 in Brazil. It started with the Portuguese doing business with royal families like the Benin kingdom. Today we still practice African religion and are discriminated against for doing so. Afrodescendants are still suffering from the vestiges of slavery. Many people are homeless, living in the streets of Brazil,” she said.
Queen Mother Blakely emphasized, “We must get our share of the bronzes and they must not be returned to the Benin Kingdom. We need healing dialogue, reconciliation, because we share this cultural heritage.”
Farmer-Paellmann views this as “an opportunity for the Oba to bring his kingdom back together and build a franchise to educate and heal. He should lead.” Toward that goal, she announced the founding of the Harlem based “Benin Kingdom Museum,” and called on the public to visit their website, www.theBKM.org, to give comment and financial support toward the development of the global franchise.
RSG cites legal precedents, including a New York State law mandating museums to identify looted artworks from the Holocaust era by citing the provenance in museum captions. It also highlighted that a British museum repatriated cultural artifacts to a forcibly displaced Australian aboriginal group last year.
Rep. Ammons requested a copy of the Holocaust museum law to introduce in the state of Illinois for Benin bronze transparency.
When the Bronzes were taken in 1897 by British forces, it ended the centuries-old practice by the Benin Kingdom of using enslaved persons as human sacrifices. Farmer-Paellmann argued, “By working together openly, the Benin Kingdom and we Afrodescendants can finally begin healing dialogue. But the museums must respect our equal status in this matter and include us all at the table.”
“Farmer-Paellmann has called on the UN PFPAD to enact a protocol to ensure that nations and global museums conduct provenance research beyond the colonial era and include the slave trade origin of African artifacts before repatriation. Slave trade derived relics must remain where Afrodescendants reside so that they have full access to their cultural heritage,” she says.
About Restitution Study Group:
The Restitution Study Group is a NYC-based non-profit dedicated to advocating for reparatory justice related to the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its continuing impacts. Learn more at: www.rsgincorp.org. Sign our petition at: www.change.org/p/share-the-benin-bronzes.
Screen this side event at below:
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Contact:
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, J.D., M.A.
Executive Director
Restitution Study Group
www.rsgincorp.org
917-365-3007
GLOBAL FILM SCREENING
Join us Saturday, April 13th, 10:00am ET for a virtual film screening and Q&A on the Afrodescendant effort to secure repatriation of the iconic slave trade Benin bronzes! An official side event of the 3rd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.
NEW BOOK
THE STOLEN WEALTH OF SLAVERY: A Case for Slavery Reparations
When journalist David Montero reached out to me a few years back to discuss my work exposing corporations complicit in slavery, I had no idea his book was aimed at building a case for reparations. I thought we had already done that.
But Montero takes things a step further as explained by Michael Eric Dyson:
“The appeal, and persuasion, and, really, the moral elegance of what Montero offers is that he names the names of individuals and corporations that made their wealth off of Black muscle and acknowledges the pioneering work of Black folk, especially Black women, in the fight for reparation.“
Montero says:
“Central to this tale also is how Black activists in the early 2000s, starting with a lawyer named Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, sought out these truths, and how she revealed the origins of modern-day corporations as rooted in the bedrock of Black enslavement. She and other activists pushed corporations for the first time to acknowledge their complicity and provide restorative justice.“
This shout out is greatly appreciated. Also, in light of the challenges to securing a federal reparations law, Montero’s book is a necessary tool in the fight for reparatory justice today. Preview the book on Google.
— Deadria Farmer-Paellmann
CALL TO ACTION!
STOP THE SMITHSONIAN TRANSFER OF 13 MORE BENIN BRONZES
The Smithsonian has secretly deaccessioned (removed from their collection) 13 more Benin bronzes — iconic treasures from the 12th to 19th centuries made in the Benin kingdom. Most of the relics were made with metal manillas they exchanged for captives the Benin kingdom sold to European transatlantic slave traders.
It is unknown whether the Smithsonian has transferred them to Nigeria or the Benin kingdom yet. The deaccessioning was done in spite of the fact that a lawsuit is pending to determine if their new “ethical return policy” for transfers is legal. The Restitution Study Group believes the new rule violates United States law and, in this case, it denies heirs of Benin kingdom victims access to their cultural property.
Write the Smithsonian Board of Regents and demand to know where are the 13 bronzes. Tell them to stop transferring the Benin bronzes! They belong to all of us!
CONTACT: Porter Wilkinson WilkinsonP@si.edu
Smithsonian Deacessioning Minutes
RSG FEATURE
THE WEST IS RETURNING PRICELESS AFRICAN ART TO A SINGLE NIGERIAN CITIZEN – Should it? By David Frum
Excerpt:
I spoke and corresponded with Farmer-Paellmann in late May, as she was preparing to leave for the Cannes Film Festival to present a film she had made about the slave-trade origins of the Benin artworks, They Belong to All of Us. “It feels like we are being sold all over again,” she wrote to me after we had spoken.
Restitution Study Group 