DG tasks youths on preservation of Benin wood, bronze casting heritage

The Director General of the National Gallery of Arts (NGA), Mr Ebeten Ivara, has tasked Edo youths to preserve the wood carving and bronze casting culture for which the people are known globally.

Ivara made the call on Thursday in Benin, during the opening of a workshop on Wood Carving and Bronze Casting/Iron Smithing Guild System in Benin Kingdom.

He noted that the Benin Kingdom was notable for its rich cultural heritage which should be kept alive by the young generation.

The director-general said that the guild system and casting/carving tradition dated back many centuries and formed an essential aspect of the rich history of Benin culture and palace arts.

He further said that the workshop was to showcase the cultural values embedded in the Benin artistic traditions with a view to ensuring its preservation.

“The National Gallery of Arts as a promoter of Nigerian visual arts will continue to bring these unique aspects of the nation’s art sector to the public glare through exhibitions and workshops.

“I am confident that the efforts of the NGA will re-instil a sense of pride in the average Edo person, and indeed all Nigerians,” he said.

The DG noted that the workshop was timely as it was taking place at a time when artworks originally forcefully removed from Benin to Europe and elsewhere were being returned to the country.

He commended the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare 11 and the Edo Government for their resolve to see to the repatriation of stolen artifacts.

In his remarks, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, commended NGA for answering the clarion call to promote the country’s culture industry.

Represented by Mr Theophilus Omokpai, Curator, National Museum, Benin, the minister said the workshop was necessary to generate and add to the international conversations regarding the repatriation of Benin arts.

“I must therefore commend the NGA, for complementing the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to reposition the culture industry as a veritable contributor to Nigeia’s GDP.”

Underscoring the significance of the guild systems and casting/carving tradition in Benin, the Esogban of Benin, Cheif David Edebiri, said the systems acted as a museum to record epic historical events in the Kingdom.

Edebiri, however, expressed worries that only few youths were interested in the sustainability of the guild systems.

Earlier, Ms Itohan Bazuaye, Permanent Secretary, Edo Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, said the present administration placed great emphasis on youths’ involvement in the promotion of Edo rich cultural heritage.

Bazuaye said the state government in 2018 introduced establishment of cultural clubs in schools to encourage young children to take interest in the learning of Benin arts and culture.

She however urged youths to deplore modern technology in the development of arts and culture in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that wood carvers and bronze casters from different guild systems in the state were on ground to display their art works. (NAN)