by Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, Executive Director, Restitution Study Group, Delivered to the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, United Nations, New York, May 31, 2023
Delivered June 2, 2023 to UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.
This is a Benin bronze. It was made with manillas, a currency paid to the Benin kingdom in exchange for people they sold to European slave traders. The manillas were melted and cast into bronzes for 300 years. 50 bought a woman, 57 bought a man. They are the embodiment of our enslaved ancestors.
The bronzes were taken from the Benin kingdom in 1897 after the Kingdom massacred 250 unarmed African porters and 9 unarmed British Navy officers.
They were sold to museums and collectors around the world to pay for the war.
After a century of demands for their return, the bronzes are being repatriated.
Some say the George Floyd murder was the catalyst. Ironically, George Floyd suffered from a vestige of slavery.
With DNA testing, we are able to identify the heirs of the people sold into slavery for these bronzes to be possible. I am one of those DNA Descendants and many of you are too.
We have made a claim of co-ownership of the bronzes so that our children can learn the truth. Right now few museums tell it.
But, His Majesty the Oba of Benin, verified the slave trade origin in his book “The Benin Monarchy.” And the German Mining museum has tested bronzes and manillas and verified that the metal comes from their Rhineland.
In the spirit of Pan African Unity and Reparatory Justice, we ask this body to support our claim for co-ownership of the bronzes worth $30 billion today, and to support us having a seat at the negotiating tables around the world.
We give thanks to His Majesty the Oba of Benin for acknowledging our claim. He sent his Advisor to meet with us and she said our claim is legitimate. But the Nigerian government has not acknowledged us.
Now the Oba is the custodian and the world is turning against repatriation because he is a private party who can dispose of the relics however he wishes. This gives slave trader heirs a second chance to profit from enslaving people.
This is a time for Pan African Unity to lead. For a plan to be made that respects that the bronzes belong to all of us.
One thing is certain, if we do not work together, we will all loose the bronzes again.
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Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, J.D., M.A.
Executive Director
Restitution Study Group
http://www.rsgincorp.org
Restitution Study Group 