Students want Benin to have Jesus' 'Splendid Bronze Cockerel'

[Eric Arthur]

The Cambridge students unions are at it again and the Jesus College union has just voted unanimously to send the Benin Bronze **** back to where Brits looted it from while sorting out a colonial problem in the 1890's.

 

I'm not sure that sins of the past should be judged by the standards of today but this item was looted from a despotic African king who dealt in slaves and torture and wasn't above a bit of looting from the people he conquered.

 

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1670294.ece

[tinfoilhat]

The Cambridge students unions are at it again and the Jesus College union has just voted unanimously to send the Benin Bronze **** back to where Brits looted it from while sorting out a colonial problem in the 1890's.

 

I'm not sure that sins of the past should be judged by the standards of today but this item was looted from a despotic African king who dealt in slaves and torture and wasn't above a bit of looting from the people he conquered.

 

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1670294.ece

 

Give it them back, it will be on eBay within a week.

[geared]

That'll just end up in the garden of whatever corrupt public official gets their hands on it first.

[horribleblob]

The Cambridge students unions are at it again and the Jesus College union has just voted unanimously to send the Benin Bronze **** back to where Brits looted it from while sorting out a colonial problem in the 1890's.

 

I'm not sure that sins of the past should be judged by the standards of today but this item was looted from a despotic African king who dealt in slaves and torture and wasn't above a bit of looting from the people he conquered.

 

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1670294.ece

 

Cambridge … again? I'm sure you'll recall that the Rhodes' statue debate involved Oriel College, Oxford. Or perhaps you're thinking of another incident, Eric?

 

Jesus College (Cambridge) is more than wealthy enough to have a flawless replica bronze made, and Benin is now considered to be one of the most stable democracies in Africa.

[Andbreathe]

Cambridge … again? I'm sure you'll recall that the Rhodes' statue debate involved Oriel College, Oxford. Or perhaps you're thinking of another incident, Eric?

 

Jesus College (Cambridge) is more than wealthy enough to have a flawless replica bronze made, and Benin is now considered to be one of the most stable democracies in Africa.

 

I'm sure I read that Eric studied at Cambridge.

[cgksheff]

....... andBenin is now considered to be one of the most stable democracies in Africa.

 

Why not read before pontificating?

 

The bronze in question is from the city of Benin, Nigeria .... not the country of Benin.

[MLAR]

I have no opinion on the fate of the bronze ****.

I am, however, finding the swear filter rather amusing. In a juvenile sort of a way:)

[Eric Arthur]

The topic title has been changed, by a moderator I assume. It was originally a direct literary reference from Summon My Ehi to Ugbine By Okpame Oronsaye in which he confirms the ****'s provenance thus

 

In the Twenty Sixth Annual Report of Jesus College Cambridge, in July 1930, it was acknowledged that George William Neville, who took part in the Benin Punative Expedition, presented to the college 'a splendid bronze co ck of ancient native workmanship which he brought back to England.'

 

There is historical revisionism afoot on Sheffield Forum as well as at Jesus. I can't imagine that anyone is offended at the correct use of the word co ck but somebody saw fit to replace it with a Puritanical Americanism and lost the context. This is the same type of low brow misunderstanding leading scholars to their belief that they should be history instead of studying and understanding history.

 

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=81BzCwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT60&ots=vSRif_11td&dq=Splendid%20Bronze%20cock&pg=PT60#v=onepage&q=Splendid%20Bronze%20cock&f=false

 

---------- Post added 22-02-2016 at 20:28 ----------

 

Why not read before pontificating?

 

The bronze in question is from the city of Benin, Nigeria .... not the country of Benin.

 

Benin was a tribal empire specialising in slavery and the evil that goes with it. We wrote them a treaty of sorts to end it which the emporer may or may not have signed so we sent a civilian party to sort it out. They were murdered on arrival.

 

So Britain responded on the way you would expect in the 1890's by sending the Benin Punative Expedition which did what the name suggests. They eliminated the Benin Empire, killed their leaders and soldiers, and took valuables as recompense for having to travel thousands of miles to administer Victorian justice.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Eric Arthur

[cgksheff]

The Oba actually escaped the attack, was later captured and exiled.

[Eric Arthur]

The Oba actually escaped the attack, was later captured and exiled.

 

Just like the ****.

 

One can only hope that the Sheffield Forum Topic Title Titivators will return to the scene of their crime and restitute the ****.