kingdom of benin study
A poem a week for Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (ruled: 1888–1914)
Poems to commemorate 100 years since the death of King Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (ruled: 1888–1914) who was the 35th Oba of the great Kingdom. He was exiled to Calabar in 1897 by the British after their punitive expedition. They did this in order to pave way for them to deal directly with individual local chiefs instead of a King. The British wanted to control trade exports from all West African coasts and Oba Ovonramwen was seen as a threat to this expansion. The British however were not acting alone; the Berlin convention of 1884 gave them the authority to do so.
Poem 1
Have you heard it tell?
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Was abundantly rich in,
All manner of natural resources,
Rubber, cocoa, cotton, palm kernel and more.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Received annual tributes from
All neighbouring countries;
Yams, fabric, palm wine, kola nuts and more.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Had many elephant tusks;
Everyman gave one to the king,
Kept the other for himself.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Grew rich in ivory;
Oba O stacked ivory in his storerooms,
Instead of selling them to enrich himself.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Used ivory and imported expensive metal,
To record their history
For future generations to learn about.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Was vandalized by some savages;
They ransacked the storerooms
Taking all that history with them.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country’s
Crafted history in ivory and bronze,
Are in museums all over the world
For all generations to come.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O died
One hundred years ago;
That he will be remembered
For generations to come.
Have you heard it tell;
On January 14th 1914.
Oba Ghato, Okpere;
Long Live the King
Ise!
Poem 2
Oba Ovonramwen
Oba Ovonramwen,
Was not enticed by,
Promises of overseas education,
Of rich presents,
Cameras and all,
Definitely not the occupiers’ friendship.
Rather he,
Demanded his country’s dues,
Defended his people’s sovereignty,
Sent soldiers to protect his borders,
Defended his country,
To the last soldier standing.
The British,
Sent a punitive expedition,
Against his country,
In 1897 and,
At great expense to themselves,
Did exile, Oba Ovonramwen the Great!
Poem 3
Oba Ovonramwen
Oba Ovonramwen,
Selfless leader,
Determined, strong,
History maker,
History keeper,
Heritage defender,
Great military leader,
Guardian of traditions,
Role model for all ages.
Poem 4
After the Punitive Expedition
After the Punitive Expedition; after the burning,
After the looting, terracotta figures, ivory and bronze plaques;
Sold off in England and France, Germany and America too;
Museums, private collections, it has become quite a narrative;
Sold here, sold there, auction here, auction there,
Scholars and visitors to museums, say ‘cheese!’
'That is my history you know;', you hear everywhere;
Museums, private collections, it has become quite a narrative;
After the Punitive Expedition!
,
Poems to commemorate 100 years since the death of King Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (ruled: 1888–1914) who was the 35th Oba of the great Kingdom. He was exiled to Calabar in 1897 by the British after their punitive expedition. They did this in order to pave way for them to deal directly with individual local chiefs instead of a King. The British wanted to control trade exports from all West African coasts and Oba Ovonramwen was seen as a threat to this expansion. The British however were not acting alone; the Berlin convention of 1884 gave them the authority to do so.
Poem 1
Have you heard it tell?
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Was abundantly rich in,
All manner of natural resources,
Rubber, cocoa, cotton, palm kernel and more.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Received annual tributes from
All neighbouring countries;
Yams, fabric, palm wine, kola nuts and more.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Had many elephant tusks;
Everyman gave one to the king,
Kept the other for himself.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Grew rich in ivory;
Oba O stacked ivory in his storerooms,
Instead of selling them to enrich himself.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Used ivory and imported expensive metal,
To record their history
For future generations to learn about.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country
Was vandalized by some savages;
They ransacked the storerooms
Taking all that history with them.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O’s country’s
Crafted history in ivory and bronze,
Are in museums all over the world
For all generations to come.
Have you heard it tell that:
His Majesty Oba O died
One hundred years ago;
That he will be remembered
For generations to come.
Have you heard it tell;
On January 14th 1914.
Oba Ghato, Okpere;
Long Live the King
Ise!
Poem 2
Oba Ovonramwen
Oba Ovonramwen,
Was not enticed by,
Promises of overseas education,
Of rich presents,
Cameras and all,
Definitely not the occupiers’ friendship.
Rather he,
Demanded his country’s dues,
Defended his people’s sovereignty,
Sent soldiers to protect his borders,
Defended his country,
To the last soldier standing.
The British,
Sent a punitive expedition,
Against his country,
In 1897 and,
At great expense to themselves,
Did exile, Oba Ovonramwen the Great!
Poem 3
Oba Ovonramwen
Oba Ovonramwen,
Selfless leader,
Determined, strong,
History maker,
History keeper,
Heritage defender,
Great military leader,
Guardian of traditions,
Role model for all ages.
Poem 4
After the Punitive Expedition
After the Punitive Expedition; after the burning,
After the looting, terracotta figures, ivory and bronze plaques;
Sold off in England and France, Germany and America too;
Museums, private collections, it has become quite a narrative;
Sold here, sold there, auction here, auction there,
Scholars and visitors to museums, say ‘cheese!’
'That is my history you know;', you hear everywhere;
Museums, private collections, it has become quite a narrative;
After the Punitive Expedition!
,
great kingdom of benin
Learning about history
Learning about history, is an exciting subject which is not limited to remembering facts, dates and figures. Students should use different sources to come to their own conclusions. Find out more below.
Be a history detective, find out about how to read like a historian in the video link below:
Learning about history, is an exciting subject which is not limited to remembering facts, dates and figures. Students should use different sources to come to their own conclusions. Find out more below.
Be a history detective, find out about how to read like a historian in the video link below:
