Olusoga is a British Nigerian writer and historian who advocates the return of ancient relics and artefacts to their country of origin, and is especially passionate about the Benin bronzes. They are a group of more than a thousand metal plaques and sculptures that were taken by the British during their expedition in 1897. He discussed this (and a lot more) in his talk with Jonty Claypole, the BBC’s Director of Arts.
Olusoga is an expert on the topic, having presented two episodes of the landmark series Civilisations for the BBC, which explored trade, imperialism and empire. He said, the British would “steal this stuff to pay for the bullets”.
But despite a clear investment in the issue, he remained pragmatic. He spoke about those who may have the attitude that history remains in the past, and that we ‘can’t go back’, but he used his knowledge of historic trade relationships to propose that the return of those items has the capacity to connect and that we are far beyond the ancient attitude of ‘the west and the rest’.
If you missed this event but would like to hear more from David Olusoga, you can catch him at event 99 Black and British: A Forgotten History at 2:30pm, Sunday 27 May.