Ramteen Arablui

Manila is derived from the Portuguese word for bracelet. They often came in the shape of a horseshoe of various sizes, usually made of brass, bronze or copper. And they were used as slave trade currency throughout West Africa by European traders.

Manila is derived from the Portuguese word for bracelet. They often came in the shape of a horseshoe of various sizes, usually made of brass, bronze or copper. And they were used as slave trade currency throughout West Africa by European traders.

Manila is derived from the Portuguese word for bracelet. They often came in the shape of a horseshoe of various sizes, usually made of brass, bronze or copper. And they were used as slave trade currency throughout West Africa by European traders.

These manilas were used to fuel the kingdom's artistic traditions.

These manilas were used to fuel the kingdom's artistic traditions.

These manilas were used to fuel the kingdom's artistic traditions.

Sculptures like the rooster statue that Ore Ogumbi saw in the dining hall at Jesus College.

Sculptures like the rooster statue that Ore Ogumbi saw in the dining hall at Jesus College.

Sculptures like the rooster statue that Ore Ogumbi saw in the dining hall at Jesus College.

What Deidre now refers to as... Blood metal. Blood metal, meaning that the price for these works of art were the lives of enslaved West Africans sent into the abyss of the Middle Passage. And the principal purpose of creating these bronzes was in service of Benin Kingdom's royal family.

What Deidre now refers to as... Blood metal. Blood metal, meaning that the price for these works of art were the lives of enslaved West Africans sent into the abyss of the Middle Passage. And the principal purpose of creating these bronzes was in service of Benin Kingdom's royal family.

What Deidre now refers to as... Blood metal. Blood metal, meaning that the price for these works of art were the lives of enslaved West Africans sent into the abyss of the Middle Passage. And the principal purpose of creating these bronzes was in service of Benin Kingdom's royal family.

And at the center of the Benin royal family was the Oba.

And at the center of the Benin royal family was the Oba.

And at the center of the Benin royal family was the Oba.

The Benin Kingdom was ruled by a long line of Obas. They were like religious, political, and military leaders rolled into one. And for centuries, they enjoyed control over the trade routes in their kingdom. But all of this would begin to change when Europeans started making their way into the region's local economies and politics.

The Benin Kingdom was ruled by a long line of Obas. They were like religious, political, and military leaders rolled into one. And for centuries, they enjoyed control over the trade routes in their kingdom. But all of this would begin to change when Europeans started making their way into the region's local economies and politics.

The Benin Kingdom was ruled by a long line of Obas. They were like religious, political, and military leaders rolled into one. And for centuries, they enjoyed control over the trade routes in their kingdom. But all of this would begin to change when Europeans started making their way into the region's local economies and politics.

This was an era of massive industrial growth in Europe, especially in England. And so natural resources like rubber and palm oil were in high demand. And it turns out that many of those resources were in what's now southern Nigeria, the land the Oba ruled over. So throughout the 1800s, the British tried to insert themselves more and more into the rubber and palm oil trade.

This was an era of massive industrial growth in Europe, especially in England. And so natural resources like rubber and palm oil were in high demand. And it turns out that many of those resources were in what's now southern Nigeria, the land the Oba ruled over. So throughout the 1800s, the British tried to insert themselves more and more into the rubber and palm oil trade.