RRA

Kingdom of Benin, Edo People and the Forest Region 


Project Researcher: RRA
Collaborator: Adjaye Associates 


This research project was part of a series of research initiated in collaboration with the architectural practice Adjaye Associates. The research not only documented a now degraded region of Africa known as Benin-Togo, but looked at its origins in the Kingdom of Benin. The project was of notable significance in the early stages of rendering the design for ‘MOWAA: Museum of West African Art’ Institute which is the space in which the stolen Benin Bronzes will make their historic return back to Africa.

The research on the Kingdom of Benin was a part of a larger project in looking at the architectures of the seven biodiverse regions of the African continent. Instead of looking at each country, RRA noticed a connection in how the architecture unfolds as a response to the climate and not as a response to nation states. The forest region is a highly diverse, dynamic and energetic space teeming with life and the architectures of the region match this energy. The Kingdom of Benin was one of the oldest and greatest Kingdoms who created some of the most intellectual structures and ritualistic artefacts such as the Bronzes, but most notably amongst their architectures were the Benin Earthwork Walls–one of the first instances in humanity to utilise a technique now known as ‘Rammed Earth’.

The Bronzes still remain in the institutions of the West as objects, but for the Edo people, these were ancestors–ritualistic vessels for communication.

“Benin’s artworks consisted of ivory carvings, brass and bronze casting, coral regalia and metal sculptures which weren’t distinct from their beliefs, rituals, history and cultural context.”


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