Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes - Barnaby Phillips torrent

Category: Documentary, History, Misc. Non-fiction

Written by Barnaby Phillips
Read by Michael Page
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 96 Kbps

Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes
By: Barnaby Phillips
Narrated by: Michael Page
Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-08-21
Language: English
Publisher: Tantor Audio

Publisher’s summary

In 1897, Britain responded to the killing of a group of officials by razing an empire to the ground. The men had been travelling to the ancient Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Nigeria, when they were ambushed and killed by local soldiers. Just six weeks later, the British had exacted their revenge, set Benin aflame, exiled the king, and annexed the territory. They also made off with some of Africa’s greatest works of art.

This is the story of the “Benin Bronzes”, their creation, theft, and what should happen to them now. When first exhibited in London, they caused a sensation and helped reshape European attitudes toward Africa, challenging the prevailing view of the continent as “backward” and without culture. But seeing them in the British Museum today is, in the words of one Benin City artist, like “visiting relatives behind bars”. In a time of fevered debate about the legacies of empire, loot, museums, and history, what does the future hold for the Bronzes themselves?

©2021 Barnaby Phillips (P)2021 Tantor