Author of ‘The Bronze Elephant in the Room: After the Benin Bronzes Come Home, What Next?’ Daniel Olaoluwa Whyte, believes repatriation of looted artefacts is just the first step: ‘The other step and indeed the real work is in the preservation of the returned artefacts. To do this properly, we need a revamp of our cultural property landscape and a change in the government’s general attitude towards art.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I grew up reading different books. Some of the names I can remember are Nancy Drew’s Mystery Stories which includes The Secret in the Old Attic and The Secret in the Old Clock, Peter Abraham’s Mine Boy, and Obafemi Awolowo’s My Early Life, among others. I also read Koku Baboni, and Sugar Girl when I was much younger. I loved Yoruba literature and I used to read Ijapa Tiroko Oko Yannibo, and others books recommended at school...