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THE BENIN BRONZE CASTING GUILD AND THE IMPENDING THREAT OF

POSSIBLE EXTINCTION; Talks with an Insider

By

Adingwupu Awele Gabriel.

Lecturer, Department of Fine And Applied Art.

School of Art and Design in Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi – Uku.

Email; adingwupuawele@yahoo.com

AND

Oshiafi Bash Daniel

Address; Benin City, Edo State.

Email; bashoshiafi@gmail.com

A paper presented at

The Cameroon Academia 4th International Conference, Abuja.

November, 2017

Abstract

In the international community and even other parts of Nigeria today, scholars can talk extensively

about the Bronze casting practices of the Benin people. But the disturbing issue is that, these talks

are mostly characterized by perspectives that have been influenced by the old state of things. Little

or no attention is being paid to the present condition of the guild. In the ancient times, the structure

of the guild, particularly its reserved service for the Oba’s palace guaranteed its continuity.

However, with changes caused by its commodification brought by post modernity, there exists a

need for a re-evaluation of the guild. This paper therefore examines the Bronze casters guild,

considering its state in the distant past and comparing it with what is obtainable today. This

examination is with the aim of drawing the attention of art historians and the responsible

government agencies alike, to the impending threat of extinction which the guild currently faces.

In establishing the reality of this impending threat, the views of an insider are taken as the

highlights of the study. This insider is the guild’s present secretary, MR. Eric Ogbemudia.

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THE BENIN BRONZE CASTING GUILD AND THE IMPENDING THREAT OF

POSSIBLE EXTINCTION; Talks with an Insider

Introduction

‘Incompleteness’ would be boldly tattooed on the face of any Nigerian art historical

documentation that is void of Benin Art. This is because Benin has always occupied a prominent

role in the Nigerian artistic heritage – particularly in South-Western Nigeria. The Benin people are

known both locally and internationally mainly because of their art, particularly bronze casting,

which is arguably quintessential to Benin art. It has become common knowledge in the world of

African art history that the Benin kingdom was established as early as about 1180 C.E (Izevbigie,

n.d) and that by the late 1400s, the Portuguese who were the first Europeans to make contact with

the Benin people were blown away by the already established economic, religious, and political as

well as artistic system they found (Ikponmwosa, 2015). The second half of the fifteenth century

saw the arrival of the first group of Portuguese, led by Ruy de Sequeire in 1472 during Oba

Ewuare’s reign and Alfonso de Avienro in 1485 in Oba Ozolua’s (c.1481) reign (Hubbard,

1948,p.173). Upon meeting with the Portuguese, a strong mercantile relationship was developed.

This relationship with the Europeans and the later punitive expedition in 1896/7 took the

knowledge of Benin art to other parts of the world as merchants and missionaries wrote all kinds

of stories about “the powerful Oba and his subjects”. An example of such writings was by a

Portuguese pilot who wrote that the Oba was worshipped by his subjects, who believed he came

from heaven (Paula, 1995). The origin of bronze casting in Benin is not certain, as some believe

its source to be Egypt or Sudan. Others believe it came from Ife and there are several other schools

of thought. What is certain however is that the guild produced bronze works strictly for the Oba

and for nobles (if the Oba permitted) and that membership of the guild was hereditary. The Oba

took care of the members of the guild, and as such, they had little or no need to commercialize

their production. They produced mainly for the Palace.

Today, the bronze casting guild of Benin still exists but it doesn’t in its most authentic

state. Whether or not the alleged exchange of bronze works between Benin and Ife can be classified

as part of the activities that commoditized the Benin art, is another topic of discussion. However,

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what is relevant to this discussion is that with the commercialization of the bronze guild which is

typical of the guild today, there exist a shift from the original intention of the guild’s establishment

and that creates a tendency for future disappearance. Also the continuous abandonment of the

bronze casting practice by new generational guild members in pursuit of careers in other fields

such as medicine, engineering, and law among others, stands as a threat to the continuity of the

guild. Adding to these threats is the little or lack of adequate attention paid by government to the

preservation and development of the Benin bronze casting heritage.

In the international community and even other parts of Nigeria today, scholars can talk

extensively about the bronze casting practices of the Benin people. But the disturbing issue is that,

these talks are mostly characterized by perspectives that have been influenced by the old state of

things. Little or no attention is being paid to the present condition of the guild. What is heard and

talked about continuously is a mere reflection of the guild’s glorious past. The present reality of

the guild reveals that it is but a shadow of what is used to be and if measures aren’t employed to

uphold what is left, it could totally disappear. This essay therefore seeks to draw attention to what

is, rather than what was, as has remained the popular order of things.

In the course of carrying out the field work that would eventually develop into this essay,

the research got to Igun street right in the heart of Benin City, the metropolitan

headquarters of former Benin Kingdom. There, the opportunity to have talks with an insider arose

and was grabbed. The secretary of the guild Mr. Eric Ogbemudia (plate 1), a sculptor, a member

of the guild, and a graduate of Auchi Polytechnic, talked extensively on the guild’s artistic

practices. He gave a historical background of the bronze casters guild and further discussed the

present state of the same, emphasizing the need to keep the system from going extinct. It is

therefore mainly through the eyes of Mr Eric that this essay intends to project the original state of

the bronze or brass casters guild and most importantly its present state, with the view of pointing

out the hanging threat of its extinction. Since he is a member of the guild and even holds the office

of guild secretary, Mr Eric for the sake of this essay, would be referred to as the Insider.

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(Plate 1)MR. Eric Ogbemudia (Guild Secretary) in his workshop. Photo by Oshiafi B.

The Old State of the Bronze Casters Guild

Several schools of thought have emerged as to the origin of bronze casting in Benin. In fact

whenever the topic is raised, debates are provoked. There is the belief that the lost wax casting was

introduced from outside Africa. This school of thought argued that the technology was too

sophisticated to be of African origin. Another school of thought argued that bronze casting in

Benin was introduced from the neighbouring Kingdom of Oyo from the town of Ife. The people

of Benin, however, hold the view that bronze casting at Igun Eronmwon could not be introduced

from Ife since there is today no trace of bronze casting as a court art or communal enterprise at Ife

or any quarter dedicated for the production of the art as practised in the Kingdom of Benin. (Inneh,

2007). But whether the origin of bronze casting was in Benin, Ife or any other part of the world is

wrapped in uncertainty. What is however certain is that the Bronze casting guild has been long

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associated with the royal arts of the Benin kingdom and is affiliated to the Royal Society of Iwebo

(the most senior of the three societies namely, Iwebo, Iweguae and Ibiwe) in the Palace of the Oba

of Benin (Osagie, 2015, p.10). With that in mind, it becomes safe to say that the Bronze casters

guild was one of the most important guilds in the ancient Benin kingdom. In portrayal of the high

rank of the bronze caster’s guild, one of the popular stories in Benin relates that Oba Ewuare when

he was old, asked both members of the bronze casters guild and the wood carvers to depict him.

In response to his request, the casters depicted him in his prime, but the carvers showed him the

way he was at the time; old. He was very displeased with the carvers and demoted them,

proclaiming that they would never again be as important as the brass-casters. This story reflects a

change in guild hierarchy, for the carvers organized during the Ogiso era, should rank higher than

the casters who were organized much later (Paula, 1995). The event therefore marked the placing

of the bronze casters above the others, making it the most important in the court of the Oba.

The insider described the Bronze casters guild as very dear to the Oba in the olden days.

According to him, ancestors of the guild worked earnestly for the Oba and by virtue of the

excellence that accompanied their works, the Oba conferred on them chieftaincy titles. It is perhaps

for this reason that today Igun Street is the first in Benin where one would find up to eleven chiefs.

These men counted it an honour to be in the service of the Oba and so didn’t mind not being paid.

However, the Oba took care of all members of the guild. This was probably to make sure they

were fully satisfied and had no need to make works for commercial purposes. And although many

of them were farmers and had other engagements, their primary assignment on earth was to serve

the Oba by producing bronze works which he commissioned.

As earlier mentioned, the punitive expedition of 1896/7 which saw the invasion of the

Oba’s palace and looting of countless artefacts by the British army brought international and

schorlarly attention to Benin Art (Amos, 1979). Worthy of note is the fact that most of the stolen

artefacts were Bronze works (Hall, 1981)and it is probably one of the reasons why Bronze casting

is synonymous with Benin Art today. In the opinion of the insider, the British only used retaliation

as an excuse and strategy to gain access into the inner courts of the Oba where these works were

kept. And since these bronze works were produced by the Igun Eromwon (Bronze casters guild),

which Daniel Inneh (2007) in his essay in the Benin Kings and Rituals; Court Arts From Nigeria,

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describes as occupying the highest rank among the craft guilds, it is not out of place to emphasize

their importance in the history of Benin Art.

There is no denying that the guild has become an emblem of Benin Art. The works of the

guild in the past constitute the nucleus of Benin art works. Their activities have been very well

publisized and all over the world there are Bronze works from the ancient kingdom of Benin,

produced by the Bronze casters guild. The fact that the guild worked strictly for the Oba and was

taken care of by the palace kept its sacredness intact and made young members of the guild aspire

to work in the palace like their predecessors. This in turn sort of secured the guild’s future and

ensured its continuity.

The Present state of the Guild

Walking through the gates of Igun Street, calls from various shops welcome any visitor.

The shop owners seek to draw one’s attention to their stack of art works, ranging from wood works

to paintings and ultimately Bronze works (our concern). The whole street is basically a market for

art and craft works. Anybody can commission any artist to produce an art work to their own

specification. The insider reveals the current state of the guild, categorically stating that it has been

commercialized, reason being the increase in population of guild members and the need to be able

to afford the basic necessities of life and more which the palace cannot provide. According to him,

because of the change in times and world globalization, people, particularly members of the guild,

aspire for life’s luxuries. The need to send their kids to good schools, buy beautiful cars and live

in nice houses has made members of the guild to look outside the palace for commissions that

could give them high earnings. Giddens, (1997) defines globalization as the intensification of

world-wide social relations, which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are

shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice-versa. This is particularly true in the case

of Benin today as members of the bronze casters guild are no longer satisfied with the provisions

from the palace. The present generation of the guild live in the times when humans aspire to acquire

and amass wealth. It is therefore not strange that they do the same and if they must achieve their

goals, then commercializing what used to be a royal form of art seems like a logical path to thread.

The constitutional monarch in the ancient Benin kingdom was the Oba. He was the ultimate

authority and wielded great political and economic power. In the insider’s opinion, working for

him was probably the greatest thing any Benin person could have hoped for. Today the office of

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the Oba is still very relevant in Benin, however, its functions are mostly ceremonial because of the

existence of a constitutional state government. It should not be mistaking that the people of Benin

still greatly reverence the Oba and count it an honour to work in his courts but the huge availability

of other options which have captured the attention of the new generational guild members cannot

be denied. Like their colleagues in school they would also like to pursue careers in various fields.

When asked, the insider said all members of the guild are taught to cast brass even though many

choose other career paths. In his words “once you have this bronze casting in your blood, you can

work even at age 70”. According to him there are still many young members practicing, but the

question is in another 50 years, how many of these practising guild members would remain

considering the constantly evolving trend of things? And if they do remain, what would be the

state of their practice? Would they uphold the name of the guild? Furthermore, the insider sees

something he calls ‘the abroad syndrome’ as an obstacle to the continuity of the bronze casting

practice. Young members of the guild feel the need to travel out of the country in search of ‘greener

pastures’, and in so doing, they abandon the guild and its practices.

In this world of smart phones facebook, instagram, snapchat, whatsapp among other social

media, the window to happenings all over the world is in the hand of the average person. With just

a click he can see the lifestyle of his age mates abroad. This inspires him to yearn for more than

what he has in his immediate surroundings. Khurana (2015) in his article; The Impact of Social

Networking Sites on the Youth mentioned that youths prefer spending an abundant amount of time

on social networking sites on an average of more than 2 hours a day which keeps them away from

their own purpose of existence and interacting with their own natural surroundings. With this in

mind, it is no wonder that the new generational members of the guild would prefer to travel out of

the country to pursue other things than stay in Benin to keep the guild’s legacy alive.

Interestingly, even the insider is not left out in all of these. He has four children. The first

studied microbiology in the University of Benin, the second studied Accountancy in Auchi

Polytechnic, the third is presently studying Agricultural Engineering, and the forth is currently

studying chemical engineering. He has been able to pay their fees from his bronze work sales.

Although his two sons are skilled in brass casting, he hopes to at least one of them carries on the

legacy.

Factors Challenging the Continuity of the Bronze Casters Guild

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Availability and Accessibility of Raw Materials;

That the continuous existence of the Bronze casters guild has come under the threat of

extinction is arguable. However, the challenges the guild faces on a daily basis are glaring and

cannot be denied. The insider talked on some of these challenges, stating that the availability and

accessibility of copper and tin, an alloy of which gives birth to bronze, is limited. According to

him, there’s hardly a factory in Nigeria that alloys bronze and that puts a major constraint on the

guild. The guild presently relies on discarded metals like gas heads, bronze heads, propellers and

waste. This is because alloying bronze is quite difficult considering the processes involved and the

equipment required to get it done. It will require a fortune to set up an alloying factory and the

guild doesn’t have the financial capability to set one up. Although the guild members of today are

able to produce bronze works in bigger sizes than their predecessors, it remains a mystery how

members of the ancient kingdom were able to alloy and cast in bronze.

Cost of Raw Materials;

Another issue is the expensiveness of the fundamental raw material. The guild is one of

bronze casters. They cast works in bronze so one would expect that bronze be made available to

them at a very affordable rate. But the case is far from that. In the course of speaking about this

particular issue, the insider said it costs about one thousand, two hundred naira (1,200) to get a

kilogram of bronze which is the equivalent of two tap heads (so to get 50 kilograms of bronze

would be about 60,000 naira). According to him, that is very expensive. The next logical

suggestion may be that the guild gets in the mining business. But even that involves a lot of

bureaucracy and quite frankly requires some level of financial strength.

Electricity Generation and Supply;

In addition to the above mentioned factors, the lack of a stable supply of electricity which

has become an integral part of the Nigerian economy is an issue that constantly challenges the

continuity of the guild. In the 1970s and 1980s though many rural communities were not connected

to the national grid, there was ample supply of electricity to connected areas with downtime being

on the low. However, since the 1990s, there has been a consistent decline in the supply of

electricity. This stems from the fact that for over two decades, the power sector was subjected to

neglect. The power plants were crippled, especially as the hydro-power plants in Kainji, Jebba and

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Shiroro had a drop in generation sequel to age and obsolete equipment. This was further worsened

by the government’s failure to add a single power plant to the existing ones despite the rising

population and increased demands for electricity. Demand for electricity has grown at the rate of

8.2 per cent per annum since 1984 against the Gross Domestic Product growth of between three

and five per cent. Thus, electricity supply continued to depreciate to the extent that generation

level dropped to as low as 1,500 megawatts in 2000 (“Road to Gencos”, 2014). Although power

generation has improved in the country to about 6,800 megawatts today (according to the Minister

of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola,), the supply has not reached the status of

constancy. Since the guild in located in Nigeria, it is apparently affected by the power supply

situation in the country. According to the insider, the ancient guild members made use of

homemade propellers for their furnaces, but today electricity is being used. In the process of

casting, if power goes out, the caster stands the risk of losing all his materials and money spent in

getting them. Hypothetically speaking, if a hundred and fifty thousand naira is spent to secure

materials for casting and during the heating process power goes out, the money and materials are

gone; now that is a huge problem and would discourage anyone. For this reason they combine

traditional methods with the modern electricity. Invariably, the inadequate supply of power

constantly takes its toll on the guild, weakening its capacity and discouraging potential upholders

of its age long legacy.

Government Priorities;

Cultural preservation and promotion is the responsibility of the government, particularly

the state government in the case of Nigeria. If the government is pre occupied with ‘more important

things’, then the ‘less important’ suffers. One would expect that in a historic City like Benin, the

government would have harnessed its age long traditions and historical sites and turned them into

elements for tourists attraction and ultimately, revenue generation. But sadly, that hasn’t been the

case in Benin City, the capital of present day Edo State. From the military administrators with

David Akpode Ejoor (b. 1934) taking the lead in 1967 as the administrator of Bendel State, up

until the handover to civilian governors and the separation of Edo from Delta State in 1991, the

priorities of the state government have been distant from cultural preservation and tourism. For

example; Ogdemudia Administration emphasized reconstruction and rehabilitation. The period

immediately after the civil war in January 1970 saw the massive expansion of the road network in

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the state and the provision of all necessary infrastructure for its industrial take-off as well. The

Agbede Mechanized Farm, the Rural Electrification Board, The Bendel Steel Structures, the

Bendel Brewery, Bendel Pharmaceuticals, Bendel Boatyard, the University of Benin, The Institute

of Continuing Education, NTA Benin, the Bendel Line, among other institutions came into

existence at the time (Osamede, 2014). The Lucky Igbenidion led government was basically

concerned with creating an enabling environment for industrialization as well as payment of civil

servants salaries and pension. The Adams Oshiomole led government was concerned mainly with

infrastructural development and rejuvenating the educational sector. Presently the Obaseki led

government has made comments about giving attention to cultural preservation, but even these are

still in principles.

Conclusion/Recommendations

This paper is far from a mere prediction of doom. It is more of a wakeup call to draw the

attention of concerned authorities as well as scholars and art historians to investigate the present

state of the Benin bronze Casters Guild, rather than continuously rely on past researches. The guild

is the most important in Benin and holds a high place in the courts of the Oba. However, its status

as ‘high and mighty’ is all smoke and mirrors as the guild is presently undergoing challenges that

could potentially cripple it and ultimately annihilate its existence. With these in mind, the

government should prioritize the rejuvenation of the guild and adequately fund it. This will ensure

its continuity by making it enticing enough to keep young members in practice and turn it into a

revenue generating enterprise. Also, the need for the establishment a bronze alloying factory in

Benin City cannot be overemphasized. This will increase availability and accessibility of bronze

to the guild, and most likely reduce the cost of production which is currently on the high.

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Gabriel Adingwupo (left), MR. Eric Ogbemudia (middle) and Oshiafi B. Daniel (right).

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