Culture & Society

Chika Okeke-Agulu

‘There Cannot Be a Single Answer’ Chika Okeke-Agulu on the Rightful Location of African Artefacts

Though they are crucial to the movement, advocating for the restitution of stolen African artefacts cannot be left to sympathetic actors of the West, Chika Okeke-Agulu argues. He says, ‘It is no surprise that most of the important scholarly publication on royal Benin art have been by researchers overseas who have better access to museums and collections that benefitted, directly or indirectly, from colonial-era looting.’
Victor Ehikhamenor

‘Creativity on the Continent Has Always Been a Continuum’ Victor Ehikhamenor on the Resilience of Benin Artistry

African artefacts looted, stolen, and forcefully taken belong to the African communities they were taken from in the Africa continent, Victor Ehikhamenor argues. He says, ‘In discussing restitution, we must also let the world know that creativity on the continent has always been a continuum, there was no break.’
Helon Habila

‘Like Most People I Am Simply Exhausted by Politics’ Helon Habila’s First Draft

Nigerian novelist, Helon Habila, whose debut novel, Waiting for an Angel, was published 20 years ago says his writing is shifting from the political towards domestic life: ‘my attention is shifting more towards domestic issues: family, race, and so on... I am more concerned with the meaning of what it means to be a Black person in this world—a Black father, a Black son, a Black daughter, wife.’