Today we are featured in the New York Post in the above referenced article by Isabel Vincent about our negotiations with The Met and the Oba of Benin to secure our co-ownership rights and interests in the $30 billion dollar slave trade Benin bronzes. Yesterday, we were featured on German TV (at 23:08 in linked video) discussing the slave trade origin of the Benin bronzes and Germany’s monumental role in supplying the metal manilla currency to transatlantic slave traders for 300 years. The manillas were paid to the Benin kingdom slave traders by European slave traders in exchange for our captive ancestors. The metal was then melted down by Benin kingdom artisans and refabricated into the Benin bronzes from the 16th to 19th centuries — 300 years. The bronzes from the 12th to 15th century, and the ivory, wood and leather “bronzes” are not tainted by our ancestors’ enslavement and are not the focus of our campaign.
Global Team
Our campaign has always been global — in the interest of all DNA Descendants of Benin kingdom captives sold into the transatlantic slave trade wherever we were deposited in the Americas. In the coming days, we will introduce our global team members helping to educate the world on the complex issues around these iconic relics. You will learn how the making of the bronzes relates to the sufferings of DNA Descendants in the UK, Caribbean, Germany, Brazil and other places in Europe and the Americas.
DNA Descendant Database
There is still time to join our DNA Descendant database. If you have Nigerian DNA from an ancestor enslaved in the Americas via the transatlantic slave trade and you wish to be considered at the ongoing negotiations with Benin bronze stakeholders, we need a screenshot of your DNA report showing your Nigerian ancestry. Also, include a statement on where in the Americas your ancestor was enslaved. This will help secure our access to the slave trade portion of the Benin bronzes where we live due to enslavement and ethnocide and help us negotiate for: inclusion of slave trade origin information in museum displays about the relics, co-ownership, and educational and financial benefits for DNA descendants. Email the screenshot and statement to: rsgincorp1@gmail.com. Spread the word to your friends, family and social media contacts to join the DNA database.
Donate
We thank all of you who have contributed to our campaign and welcome those who have not to join us in securing justice by making a tax-deductible contribution at: Donate to Restitution Study Group | Grapevine.
Screen Our Short Film
Watch and Share our short film, THEY BELONG TO ALL OF US: The Benin Bronze Slave Trade Story on Twitter or our website. Learn more about our work at: www.rsgincorp.org
Restitution Study Group 