October 2023
Osaisonor Godfrey Ekhator-Obogie is a historian from Benin City and the Executive Secretary of the Institute for Benin Studies in Nigeria. During his fellowship, he examined the depictions and iconography of animal figures in the Benin Bronzes in relation to their cultural symbolism and colonial environmental devastation and exploitation. Godfrey Ekhator on this:
As a cultural historian from Benin, it is interesting for me to understand the iconology behind the production of the Benin Bronzes. The aim of my research was to identify the animal species depicted in the bronzes as evidence of the rich precolonial flora and fauna of the Benin Kingdom, while the exhibition project was to display the relationship between the environment and the socio-cultural ways of life of the Benin people. My use of a multidisciplinary approach – the combination of scientific consultations and oral tradition – remains invaluable as a specialist in Benin history. Most important was the opportunity to work together with colleagues across various institutions.
Osaisonor Godfrey Ekhator-Obogie is the Executive Secretary and a research fellow at the Institute for Benin Studies. He has been awarded research fellowships at the DAAD MuseumLab Fellow (2021), the French Institute for Research in Africa, Nigeria (IFRA-NIGERIA); he is also a member of the Lagos Studies Association (LSA). Ekhator-Obogie is a tour guide for visitors to the historical sites and monuments of the ancient Benin Kingdom and actively promotes the history, culture and language of Benin/Edo-speaking people. He has authored articles in local and international journals, including the popular “Benin RedBook” and co-curated the exhibition Benin. Looted History at the MARKK Hamburg.