May 2024
Mabel O. Oviahon is a historian and researcher from Benin City, Nigeria. During her CoMuse Fellowship, she focused on the ceremonial insignia of the Oba of Benin. Mabel O. Oviahon on this:
The unique designs of the Benin arts and crafts show the technical knowledge and ingenuity of Benin’s artisans. I want to focus my research on the objects that make up the Oba’s ceremonial regalia, as I consider them to be very important as a result of what they represent and their religious, socio-economic, and political significance in Benin society. In consideration of the functional significance of these Museum collections for traditional beliefs, social hierarchy, architecture, and as a living culture of the Benin people, I intend to share my expertise on Benin’s culture and yet also broaden my knowledge in museum and heritage studies of various cultures.
Mabel O. Oviahon is a junior research fellow at the Institute for Benin Studies and a research fellow at the Institute for French Research in Africa, Nigeria (IFRA-Nigeria). She completed her bachelor’s degree with Honours in History at the University of Benin and is currently enrolled in the master’s programme for Sociology and Anthropology. From March 2024 to September 2025 she worked as a research assistant on the Digital Benin International team, where she contributed to the content development of the Digital Benin website – the largest digital museum of Benin collections with more than 5,000 Benin objects from 131 museums/institutions and 20 countries worldwide. For the Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA), she identified historical sites in Benin Kingdom, engaged in geographic mapping, and developed content for academic materials for the EMOWAA Open Learning School Outreach.
This fellowship is supported by Künstlerhaus Bethanien, which provides a studio for artistic and scientific research.