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Effect of european colonisation of africa
Effect of european colonisation of africa
Effect of european colonisation of africa
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The Benin bronzes are a collection of commemorative Bronze plaques and sculptures that were used to decorate the royal palace of Benin. Located around what is now southern Nigeria, Benin was inhabited by the Bini people from around the eleventh century CE, and overthrown by British colonialists in the late nineteenth century. The extract, from 'Great Benin: Its Customs, Art and Horrors' by Henry Ling Roth (1903), will be discussed, along with the specified plates from the AA100 Illustration Book, in order to better understand how, over the last century, European attitudes towards the bronzes have changed. Initially objects of monetary significance which furthered imperial colonisation, attitudes towards the bronzes have transformed over time They were deemed highly covetable by collectors globally, and in turn, the collectors of the nineteenth century pushed up the price of these artefacts by battling it out in auctions. This is shown in the following extract from AA100 Book Three; “Museums, private collectors, art historians and scholars [...] were quick to realise the significance of the Benin artworks and competed to acquire the best pieces.” Henry Roth, as a museum curator, is not excluded from this list and his excitement can be gauged by his choice of lexis in the following excerpt; “When on the return of the members of the Punitive Expedition it became known that fine specimens of bronze casting [...]”, this use of 'fine', and other language throughout, displays not only his appreciation of their aesthetic values as individual pieces of craftsmanship but also of the physical value held by Roth over the bronze castings. (Loftus and Wood, 2008, pg. 45), (Reading 2.3 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, This reflects how European attitudes towards the interpretation of artefacts have changed from being centred around British interpretation of colonial significance, to now understanding that our own inference is not enough and that the Bini narrative needs to be heard. This helps to bring back the Bini voice and allows them to be able to verify their own oral narratives, which is important as without the proper interpretation, the cultural significance of the artefacts becomes lost. (Illustration Book,
In this context, the opening of the Ulster Folk Museum, located in Cultra in County Down, Northern Ireland (and now linked to the Ulster Transport Museum), in 1964, might theoretically be seen as a strategy in the ongoing attempted maintenance of unionist hegemony and social control in Northern Ireland. This might especially be assumed in that the early 1960s were a time when pressure for reform in Northern Ireland was increasing, and when the governing unionist coalition was fracturing, partly under the strains of early deindustrialisation.[8] Such a tourist site might also be seen as a propagandistic effort to appeal for political support (or reduced political opposition) from those with ancestral links to Ulster and its “traditions” in the wider diaspora. There are however manifold reasons for thinking that it may be rather too tempting to exaggerate the political intentions behind the formation of such a museum at such a time. Foucauldian notions of the exertion of knowledge-power over the human body have been rightly criticized (even when applied to more favourable contexts) in that they fail properly to address complicated questions of agency and the issue of in whose interest any given strategy was exerted.
In compiling this text, Henderson uses the stories and histories gathered from Mi’kmaq families and elders, blending them with European documentation of the events and peoples discussed which have been critically analyzed us...
In the first segment of his film series, Different but Equal, Basil Davidson sets out to disprove the fictitious and degrading assumptions about African civilization made by various Western scholars and explorers. Whether it is the notion that Africans are “savage and crude in nature” or the presumed inability of Africans to advance technologically, these stereotypes are damaging to the image and history of Africa. Although European Renaissance art depicts the races of white and black in equal dignity, there was a drastic shift of European attitudes toward Africa that placed Africans in a much lower standing than people of any other culture. The continent of Africa quickly became ravished by the inhuman slave trade and any traditional civilization
In the great empires of Africa they developed many things. In the Axum (Aksum) Empire (Ethiopia, in present time) they developed a trade route that stretched of Asia to Africa and back. Document one, states that people in the trade route traveled along the Red Sea. This affected the Axum Empire in many ways. They (Axum people) had gained wealth because it was a great trade point and from it, it was introduced to religions, Christianity and Islam. Another empire is called the Kingdom of Ghana in Western Africa. They became one of the richest civilizations due to commerce. In document two, it states that the amount of wealth was visible because of what the pages were wearing. They had on gold. Even the dogs guarding had on silver and gold.
In the book titled Around the World in 30 Years, Barbara Gallatin Anderson’s makes a precise and convincing argument regarding the acts of being a cultural anthropologist. Her humor, attention to detail, and familiar analogies really allow for a wholesome and educating experience for the reader. Her credible sources and uniform writing structure benefits the information. Simply, the book represents an insider’s look into the life of a cultural anthropologist who is getting the insider’s look to the lives of everybody
Each element of the plaque, from its location to its materials to its subject matter to its symbolism, is in the dominion of the Oba. Rather than bend to the Portuguese, he has appropriated them, just as their paper-art was appropriated for the creation of this new and old art form. Their arrival was used to reinforce the myth of Olokun while asserting the Oba's dual-kingship and his own link to a great arrival. And the trade that dominated inter-continental relations remained firmly in the Oba's hands. The plaque served as a testament to his power and as a reminder of it. Nothing about the Portuguese was so alien that it could not be represented and symbolically explained on the walls of the royal palace.
“Caravans of Gold”, a video by Basil Davison discovers and highlights numerous assets about gold and its prominent role in Africa. Additionally, the video examines some of the past and influential empires and their achievements. Davison discusses the history of Africa before the arrival of Europeans to demonstrate how Africa was already a well-flourished continent. “Caravans of Gold” also discusses many topics such as the Mali Empire, trading systems, and the use of gold which shows the audience of the video of how Africa was. In the long run, the aim of the video is to give the audience of the video an understanding of how the empires in Africa used its resource of gold to flourish.
Before a select historiographical study on historians’ approaches to Aboriginals’ historical role can be addressed, the views and evidence presented by Raibmon require contextual examination. Raibmon maintains that to satisfy European colonizers’ perceptions of the Aboriginal, pressure from 19th century colonial missionaries, government, tourists, and anthropologists resulted in the creation of exhibits of Aboriginal...
...best case for the retention of the British Benin sculptures is to accord them the unique status they deserve as exceptional artworks and exhibit them appropriately in a prestigious national art gallery, for everyone to appreciate fully.
Behar closes his essay by asking himself “First-contact or Hoax? I may never know” (Behar, 14). Airing his reservations with the same anthropologists he consulted before the expedition, Behar is presented with many opinions congruent to his own. Unanimously, the experts report that Woolford is a fraud peddling hoaxes from a remote location void of repercussions. Considering Behar’s excessively strong rebuttal of imperialism, readers should not be surprised he dismisses his experience as fake. Born and raised in modern America, Behar has been pruned from childhood to recoil at the notion of imperialism -- can we expect him to admit he exhibits the same imperialistic qualities his ancestors possessed? Of course not; the greatest lies are the ones we tell ourselves. Behar simply cannot cope with the realities of human nature. -- Behar, like his ancestors exhibit animalistic impulses to be alpha, to steal, covet, to pillage and to claim territory. Unfortunately for Behar, no hoax theories or disgruntled professionals can destroy the carnal nature of humans. The anthropologists reacted to Behar’s footage from Papua with skepticism for the same reasons Behar did -- they have lived in a society which suppresses human barbarism by denouncing its existence. To end his essay,
In this essay I will discuss the techniques of medieval enamel artist and the how and why a piece was made. In researching the subject of enamelling I became interested in both the Cloisonné and Champlevé techniques. Generally they were the major techniques used by the medieval goldsmith. But as I didn’t want this essay to read like a how to manual I wanted to elaborate on what type of pieces and the reasons why they were made.
Western attitudes to African people and culture have always affected how their art was appreciated and this has also coloured the response to the art from Benin.
“Duncan’s (1991) article provides an examination of western museums as a vehicle for the “modern state” to project imperialistic values over art objects of the Third World. The American/European art museum is a type of “temple” that is used to ritualize western art objects as a projection of modernity over the “primitive” art of Third World cultures.”
Personal cultural heritage is a significant part of who we are. In this paper, I will discuss the cultural heritage of my own family, including topics such as, artifacts, familial ties, patterns, and the influences of our heritage on our family today.
Written literature wasn’t a familiarity to most of Africa until the later 16th century after visits from missionaries and explorers, but in its place were verbal fables and tales. These African tales “are used to...