Kingdom of Benin Full History
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- čas přidán 10. 01. 2023
- The full animated film explores the great ancient Kingdom of Benin and its subsequent pillaging by British forces of the Benin Bronzes. The Benin Kingdom otherwise known as the Edo Kingdom is separate from Dahomey (what is considered present-day Benin). The Benin Kingdom was in what is now known as the present-day Edo state in Nigeria.
The film was created for Digital Benin & Markk Hamburg Museum in Germany. Featuring prominent characters like King Jaja of Opobo, Ovonramwen N'Ogbaisi, Chief Nana of Itsekiri, James Phillips, Henry Gallwey, Ralph Moore and many more.
MARKK Museum website: markk-hamburg.de/en/
Digital Benin: digital-benin.org/
Man you started my African history quest 3 years ago and I've learnt SO MUCH! And now I'm back to you again. Thank you for starting this journey. I can never look at Africans the same way again
Perfect piece of history.. I am partly from Benin, and I was born and still live in that great historical city...
I am author of the books: The Great Wall of Africa: The Empire of Benin’s 10,000 Mile Long Wall, The Real Wakandas of Africa and The Real Vibranium of Africa (by Maurice Miles Martinez). Most people are unaware that African people built a wall before transatlantic slavery in the Benin empire that is one of the most massive structures in the world. At 10,000 miles long, the Great Wall of Africa contains more material than all of the buildings in New York City’s Manhattan. If cut into 1 meter high blocks, it would wrap around the equator more than 65 times! It is arguably the planet’s greatest man-made structure. Yet, it has been ignored by historians. In my book The Great Wall of Africa: The Empire of Benin’s 10,000 Mile Long Wall, I explore the dimensions of the wall, the history of the Benin Empire’s Kings (Obas) and the stolen Benin Bronzes. These treasures that sit in the world’s museums amount to more than $14 Billion. Most people who read this book are left wondering why they never heard about the Great Wall of Africa in their history classes. The world needs more videos on this topic.
Maurice Miles Martinez
''10,000 Mile Long Wall'' from what point to what point?
I bought your book a few weeks ago
How did you find all the information that aided you to write your book? Are you a native of Benin? I would be really interested to hear your journey to your book. Well done
Is this the same Benin country in west Africa?
@@pluffshangazi8487 not the Benin Republic of West Africa but the Benin city in Edo state of Nigeria.
Nigeria has such a rich history...the painful part is that we refuse to teach our children our history , language and customs...
In present Dy Benin city .. only a few know their history or speak their language especially among the youths
Swearsss. They do not teach this history! Why?!
Even in my country we do not know the full history of Suriname, Holland has taken that away from us
The people speaking these languages are so few that it's almost impossible for then to find each other to marry if they find themselves away from their hometown
Because most of it is underwhelming. If Nigeria's history was so rich, we'd see it. The first storey building in Nigeria was built in the 1840s. Tells you alot.
Wasn’t like that 10 yrs ago and the city is more mixed with other tribes
Thank you so much for posting this. African History is difficult to find. Please, continue this important work
The story made me cry😭 I'm proud of being a Benin girl ♥️♥️
Do you have a new king named mo? He is famous in holland
She doesn't know, does she?
Awesome video but you missed a few things.
The battle took 10 days before the british forces reached Benin.
The around 2000 troops and thousands of african porters were seperated into 3 colums and they attacked in 3 waves the first two being pushed back by the Benin soilders.
It was the final colum made up of native african soilders from the Niger coast Protectorate forces that finally broke through and practically won the war.
While the offical British records say only 8 soilders died they also don't talk of how over 300 porters they practically brought into battle and used as shields died too.
People always glaze over the Battle of benin like it was simply a massacare but it was a full blown battle and seige that the people fought well for.
Unfortunately we'll never know the true accounts because the victors have written the story and expunged native records and retelling from the echoes of history.
Lies to prove their supremacy and how primitive Africans were.
You are making so much sense there’s no wag only 8 of them will die we believe more than that died
your editing and way of story telling is sooo easy to consume ❤
Yes dear, I like this
I know people might not believe me but my great grandfather was the 2nd son of oba eweka the 2nd and the first enogie of oghada village. My grandfather the late Joseph adekunle iyi eweka was the second enogie of oghada . So although the lineage is now watered down; I share some blood with the oba mentioned in this video.
My great grandfather Chief Ologbosere was the army general that participated in the initial battle when the British tried to force their way in.
@@anigerianninja4577 very unnecessary comment from you
@@michaelzcun Tell me you have diaries, pics, accountings? Would be interested to learn more as it is our history.
very cool, im part of the obaseki family, a descendant of agho obaseki. there are a lot of obaseki roaming the world somewhere because according to one of my uncles agho had 77 children.
Did he also participate in ritual killings and blood orgies
The king didn't just surrender, he was betrayed by one of his chiefs
Whoisobaseki
🎉🎉🎉🎉😊
the same way tinubu is betraying us to the french and americans....
Fact, and he cried out. "''Oh, my Benni people... "
not true they may have showed it in the movie but it was just added.
@@ezekieladodo2499 obaseki betrayed the king
Fantastic telling of history, so sad what happened to our ancestors. The actions of centuries past still haunts us today
we wuz kangz/
What happened to your ancestors? How many ancestors do you have? Do you realise that the Benin were forcibly capturing their neighbours subjugating them? Those were ancestors too.
The action ''still haunt'' you in what way?
@@ay1ism Benin, Dahomey, Ashanti, Yoruba state and Kongo, know as slaves kingdom, they sell capture others tribe, or poor and primitive tribe who cannot defend or lack of tech. they sold to European-American and Arabs trader with exchange of European and Arabs good which they cannot produce. Slave generated a lot of money for King and noble of Benin/Edo, Dahomey and Ashanti. they don't want to abolish slavery, because it an easy money of them, capture war prison or raid sold it to outsider and never return. the Arabs have colonies at East Africa in Zanzibar, Mombasa, Lamu, Peta, Kilwa, Comoros and Dar es Salam, Lamu, Zanzibar and Dar es Salam left some evidence like 'Arab fort of Zanzibar' and Arab or Omani for of Mombasa. in the others side, Angola we have many Portuguese fort. Arab have state in Congo, Uganda, Coastal Swahili, Comoros and Zanzibar. but European colonialism stop Arab expansion in North Congo, Uganda and all swahili coast to British and German, swahili coast just like Somalia and Comoros speak arabic as lingua franca and Swahili(35% Arabic world 60% Bantu language 5% others, Persian, Hindustani, English etc), but in 1900s only Zanzibar and Comoros still spoke Arabic, until 1964, Arabs, Persian and Indian be kick out in Zanzibar, around 100k arab with pale and brown skin be masscare, million back to Oman, UK and others arab state, Freddie Mercy is Persian from Zanzibar. South Sudan under Egyptian-British rule, before abolishment of slavery, South Sudanese like DInka, Nuer and others are capture by Sudanese Arabs as slaves. Uganda become separated colonies, if not today Uganda become part of South Sudan, south Sudan is the last attempt to Arabized the region but British to it to stop by stop Islamization and spread Christianity. Mali and Niger remove Arabic as official language only Chad still used Arabic, North Mali still have strong Arabic language, especially in Kidal, Goa and Timbuktu. Black african slavery still exist in Mauritania and Mali(north part) practice by Arab and Tuareg or moors(Arab, Berbers-Taureg mixed group)
@@ay1ism that is what the British who invaded Benin empire, want you to know, the Benin's were the first to fight against slavery, and concentrated on rubber, pepper, palm oil, ivory, art etc, but your ancestors who has no products to sell to the European, sold there love ones and neighbour's, just to survive. Benin where far civilized than others in west africa and they know the consequences of selling the fellow africa.
@@paulphilip257 Nonsense, garbages is what I will call your unfounded, baseless claim. And who told you I got my info from the British? Ironically, one of our ancestors is a founding father of the Benin kingdom.
The slaves that were sold to Americans and others in West Africa are mostly done by the Benins, it was even mentioned at the beginning of this video but you are obviously to it.
Rest on Nana of Itsekiri , Obayuwana the great warrior of Niger Delta
I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish. I have added this video as part of African history for my students.
You should read the dispatches from the British expeditionary force when they arrived in Benin City in 1897.
“Bodies hanging from trees….every form of torture imaginable….huge pits filled with hundreds of bodies. All sacrificed in some juju rituals which had been going on for centuries”
Benin City was known as the city of blood. It only stopped after the British took the city.
This video is a completely false retelling of history.
@@mozartfx1 why do you choose to believe the British version of history. The British took over Lagos in 1886, not until 1897 were they able to get to Benin.
Why did the Portuguese not see the bloody Benin in 1665, when they arrived.
no he was mr energee
@@mozartfx1our religions(locally) have nothing pointing towards human sacrifice though? How does it make any sense that we would ritually slaughter our own people? Don't lump us in with those damn Aztecs
The oba never surrendered....e was betrayed by one of his chief named obaseki
Obaseki is not the real betrayer. If you want to know who betrayed the emperor, Oba Ovoramin, just see who the British showed praise on and went on into "our" history books. Those people"chiefs" betrayed the Oba. As for calling Benin a kingdom is an insult. That will be all.
*This was a brilliant & informative video...!!!* 👍🏽 👍🏽 👍🏽
The British made the oba sign a treaty by telling him that the treaty was to enable them do more business with the British.. since none of the chiefs nor the oba could read they didn't know that they were signing a treaty that annexed Benin as part of Britain. Thereby the oba was literally signing away Benin without knowing. When the punitive expedition came, they were free to take over Benin because the treaty had been signed.. there was no betrayal here.. it all happened because they oba and his Chiefs couldn't read
I like how y'all got insight on who did the betrayal.
At least y'all know a bit of the story now
I fucks with y'all 🎈
We played ourselves
WOW. SO impressed with the simple yet implicit animation. Great one! You have my sub!
Nice. This deserves more views. I'm sharing it wherever I can
Well narrated! I can magine the amount of effort in this beatiful project. Well done!
This a bop. So wish you had a bigger platform. This is without a doubt the most engaging history video I’ve ever watched let alone for a channel under 1 million subs. It’s honestly crazy. You should try and collaborate with someone like the armchair historian on one of his many “___ from African perspective” videos.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. You have definitely earned a subscriber
*Brilliant & informative video...!!!*
*... Just became your newest subscriber...!!!* 👍🏽 👍🏽 👍🏽
Impressed by the animation in this!
thank you guys. Love 🖤❤🖤
this was the worst ever
love the work!
This video brings tears to my eyes....
Oba ghato kpere !
Ise !!
Ise
This video is really great, I feel like a kid watching tales by moonlight. Everything from the story telling to the animation to the soft music is great
love the music. Thank you. This needs to be shared. I was born in europe to west african parents. I was told the portuguese went and discovered, Europe built, blabla. This needs to be shared to show that before europeans arrival, Africa was at the same stage of development or better than europe. We need to tell our history from our perspective.
I really enjoyed this video and it made history look more interesting. I wish your other videos on various Nigeria history will look like this.
Thank you Dr Cartel, you are doing a great job when it comes to Nigeria history
Hope you realise that animations are really expensive and time taking to make.
We would also love to create more videos like this, however, the amount of effort and funds required is quite high for an independent channel like ours
@@ronuspirit how do we support financially tho little with us we will support make room for that ?
beautifully done
Wow. Nice video. God bless you.
thank you. Hope you enjoyed it. Love 🖤❤🖤
Appreciate you
I would love another video like this, focusing more on the story of Benin before their contact with the British and their relationship with their neighbors.
Thanks for this I think the war lasted about 3weeks, the Oba surrendered due to heavy massacred of his people. If the Benin kingdom wasn't defeated, do you think Edo state would have been part of Nigeria today?
Nice one, the great Benin empire. Oba ghato kpere isee
Thank you
Very lovely
Brilliant Please what animation software did you use
my name is osama, im sorry for what happened to Benin by europe. God bless Benin. hope to visit one day.
This is supposed to be a full history of Benin, but you instead forgot about the centuries of history and only talked about the eurocentric parts of its history.
Benin has much more history than its sack by the British.
Nice story what software did you use in your animation
Not enough info about the city before the British
Because it was all burnt down, my man. Our people's history that was oral died with our chiefs at the burning of the empire. And Whites wonder why we hold towards them such animosity. Almost makes sense that they keep us oppressed tbh, because were we to be in their position, we would likely do much worse than they did to us in retaliation.
Great
Imagine bringing such status to dirt and being clowned for it by people that were supposed our closest brothers even till this day. Truly heartbreaking. Thank you for this video
Whats the name of the song used at the ending please ❤
I will only say that History is only told by the side that won.
Keep making videos about hidden history that’s documented thanks brotha from
A Ibo
Someone seriously needs to make this into a movie. Why is hollywood blackwashing other civilisations when we have our own rich history that's completely unrecognised?
Let's goooooo!!!!
Yes, let's 🙌🙌
How do they go about their conflict resolution
Nah wait bro, where is the soundtrack to this, the beats are dope!!!
As benine man, i want to say thanks
Great Benin Empire ❤❤❤🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬
Oba ga tor kpere 👑
Maduwi ah-leh-tza ma-bu-wi majuwi neh-tar neter mulomo wa ngu olori oba nini ibhubasi kiniun simba thank you toda rabah arigato Gomawo grazie mille takk dhanyavad hvala shakan💪🏿✊🏾akoma duafe sankofa tsumo 🙇🏾♂️🙇🏾♂️🙇🏾♂️👑👑👑👸🏿🤴🏿
So how did they get around the language barrier?
The British army would torture the chiefs into disclosing the location of the Oba. As Malcolm X said, " They will pay one of us,to kill one of us, just to say it was one of us."
Also, Benin was specifically targeted because of the priceless artworks.
This video never stop me crying
Rest well my Oba 1914
E get why cult nor go end
E get why guns go be south south friends not until the definition is clear e get why 😢
Curious about that.
Why??
MY PEOPLE!!!!!!! 🔥
as a benin indigen, it will never be well with the british for what they did to my ancestors.
My brother the British are really wicked
@@victormbah969 very wicked.
@A Nigerian ninja I am just reflecting on the evil and atrocities they commited here, and I don't see how that relates to anyone crying.
why must you conclude that I am not adding value to the nation.
@victormbah969, the most wicked on earth
Let past be past, learn from it but don't carry it as a burden, see all the new opportunities opening up to Benin.
Beautiful clip❤
A little far back the IDDU PEOPLE of Nigeria comprised of the IGALA-Eri, IDOMA, EDO-Eri, IGBO-Eri JUKUNS and other great NIGER_DELTA tribes.
Because of pride, ego, Identity politics and a little bitter historic rivalry some had selfishly and poorly assigned themselves minorities in the Niger_area today.
If our Fathers told us stories that overlaped with the narratives of other neighbouring tribes without it's full context understood or taught in the school curriculum run by the gate keepers of this system [intentionally].
We shall then meet chiefs and ask them questions we shall also dust old books from the 1400, 1500, 1600 and 1700 hundreds to clerify certain facts.
With access to DNA studeis today every lie of the wicked will be exposed that includes the narcissistic disassemblers & reprobates within our ranks and those far away who hate us for no reason.
(KJV) Luke 12:2-3
For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Ngobisi ke???
All treasures are stolen by England
Not stolen, Dominated your ancestors and taken.
@@manchesterunited8390 when you take what does not belong to, what is that according to your law? Taken i guess
Savage
@@manchesterunited8390 My country actually defeated the English..…and my ancestors was less armed that’s the hilarious part.
@@manchesterunited8390 Everything England has been stolen, you guys will pay in the long run with waves of immigrants from the same countries you exploited in the past and present
oba ghato kpere ise
Ise
Ise
We need more history of African countries.
This video was amazing, but from the 11th century, the video just skipped to the late 1800s. Benin’s history didn’t start with the British.
Of course he skipped the part where the Benin Kingdom was one of the most active slave traders of the Atlantic Slave Trade.
@@Komenya0905There was more going on in Benin beyond slave trading during that period. Just as there is more to British history beyond the Atlantic slave trade.
@@Komenya0905you mean the opposite? We have millions of books depicted the Yorubas and Igbos been the major slaves traders, we cannot however, find books depicted Benin selling slaves other than 280 women, who were captives of war. No thanks to your lying propaganda
Please out of respect learn how to pronounce the names of the Benin people. How is this an African history channel when the narrator can pronounce British names but not Benin names. Why did you pronounce the obas name like that
What game
I clicked on this so fast lmao
fucking same
its was really irritating and annoying to hear you pronounce the oba name wrongly..The most important name in the story and you couldnt take out time to learn the correct pronunciation .just take this down n do better.
The animation really helps to bring it to life. Why do you show Phillips' expedition as having guns? They were unarmed. I believe, although I can't remember the source, that whilst the Oba originally refused Phillips, he had changed his mind and accepted the expedition. The massacre then took place. It is the massacre that gave the British the excuse for the punitive expedition. Which contained 1200 men, not 2500 as you claim.
And who wrote that they were unarmed???
British papers of course... they weren't unarmed bro. And why would they force their way into a kings king's palace during a sacred festival...
They never liked the Benin people sovereignty and they did everything to remove it..
No, the Oba didn't order the massacre of the British soldiers but Ologbosere acted alone, which the Oba resented, because of the unintelligent role by Ologbosere, the kingdom has not had that tittle since then, only the Itsekiri currently bears that tittle.
From the Smithsonian national museum of African Art, affiliated to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, (the ones who put up the scale of whiteness to show how bad, "Whitey" is? Just so you know this isn't from some white boy propaganda page...)
Whatever, they told it like this:
After centuries of power, a single event marks a stark turning point in the history of the Benin kingdom. James Phillips, an official in Britain’s Niger Coast Protectorate, led an unarmed trading expedition to Benin City in January 1897. To prevent the British party from interfering with annual royal rituals, some chiefs, acting against Oba Ovonramwen’s wishes, ordered the expedition attacked. Six British officials and almost 200 African porters were killed.
Britain responded immediately, mounting a so-called punitive expedition to capture Benin. The palace was burned and looted in February 1897, and the oba was exiled. To break the power of the monarchy, the British confiscated all of the royal treasures, giving some to individual officers but taking most to auction in London to pay for the cost of the expedition
So Philips wasn't quite the invader as shown here.
And let's be honest, although Britain was definitely no choirboy in world history, Benin can hardly be called a kingdom built on love for its neighbours; they actually fought the British, (and lost) to prolong their slave trade, only turning to palm oil when they couldn't sell slaves to America and Brazil anymore.
Talk about glossing over history... next you'll be saying the Woman King is about the African Girl Guides attacked for selling cookies.
@@Reggiec727 you didn't the Benin attack Germany, Portugal, that had already been doing trade with Benin, trading rubber, pepper and palms,? If they were truly unarmed, what then were they carrying with the 200 africa foot soldiers they employed with arm's? Or the British were only acting a crept to forcefully take Benin, after the Berlin conference of 1884, to share africa among themselves?. Enough of all this propaganda against the Benin.
@@eagleswings8661 and the Ondos too ...we call it Lógbòşèré
Ovonramwen Nogbaisi not ngobasi
It's an insult on the great Benin kingdom to call this it's FULL HISTORY
The foundation of the Benin walls are still there in Benin .
The brought him self out because of he's people
Phillips was such a coniving little snake.
So sad history 😢😢😢
Ivory, bronze, brass, iron and wood. And not strangers the bini did these crafts
Hiii
Hmmmmm😢
The current governor of Benin grandparents sold Benin city to the British. His name was, Obaseki.
Murder and stealing became a weapon. how sad we keep missing the real stories
Bénin empire had strong naval boats
Bènin is not Benin.
Do the Igbo people
🫶🏾
8 British losses seems convenient isn't it?
Lol na Real Edo man narrate this thing u go hear the "R" there 😂❤
You can't mention Benin without mentioning Oduduwa, Oranmiyan.
Why
Wow Benin
🎉🎉😂
Hi NIGERIAN MUSLIMS !
So??
@@user-vl8nl9ls2m it's rude !
The Benin kingdom was an unusually cruel, tyrannical regime by African standards, notorious for brutalities that ranged from widespread slavery to the most gruesome forms of ritual, mass human sacrifice, including women and children.
The problem with African kingdoms is that they refused to progress with time and evolve. Only if there were some educated elites out of the benin people, maybe there would have been some sort of progress in science and maybe industrialise pretty early on. It's sad. If you check out Japanese history, the Japanese quickly saw the treat of foreign powers and quickly evolved and threw away the old customs for a more modern style, all thanks to some educated people who somehow learnt science via smuggled dutch books.
When you say "education" and "modern style"? What do you mean?
Hope it's not getting educated in "English" or learning about the science of the white man... Because if you think that's the only form of education or progress that there is, then please get your colonial mind out of here.
Africans did have science, if you had cancer or a serious disease in most of these African kingdoms…the people was elite in coming up with medicines to heal you. Western education don’t make you better or more educated than anybody else.
African Kingdoms made efforts to incorporate new technologies when possible. The Kingdom of Kongo sent its royal youth to Portuguese schools, the empire of Mali opened doors for foreigners to study in their universities, Kanem-Bornu adopted firearms. Africas major governments collapsed before they could widely incorporate industrial technology. Not to mention the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which moved around 12 million able bodied and mentally capable youth out of the continent.
Recall that some parts of Asia remained largely uncolonized and was forced to trade, which is different than being forcefully governed at the highest level of power.
That allows them the advantage of cultural unity, and the door to develop industrial projects which otherwise would simply be invested into export directed infrastructure under colonial rule.
Could you not say the same for the rest of the world?
Google "Notes of Nigeria II" and read the letter. Almost everything in this video is wrong.
Bruh you gotta give better evidence than that I googled this letter, a letter written in 1955 and to my knowledge in that era African Americans and Native born African weren’t treated right, not to mention a lot of Europeans made up a lot of crap to justify colonization suck as saying that they were inferior and other horrible things, look I won’t deny that there are some cultures with some dark sides but that doesn’t mean that you take the word of a man who wrote that letter in 1955 and then not take the word of people who were actually born in that country and know their Heritage.
I’ve come back from research and I’ve come to say this unfortunately it is true that the Benin Kingdom did do human sacrifice which is bad and there is no justification for it though to be clear it was only done to criminals which is still bad but at least it wasn’t done on innocent people , as for the cannibalism that is very much untrue and it was one of Europes cruel tactics to justify taking over and annexing the kingdom .Despite this my point still stands as viewers of history we have to be careful of the history we read cause people can spread misinformation to suit their agenda, as for the Benin Kingdom it unfortunate to learn that they practice human sacrifices but in the end all cultures have their dark side but despite that we can still focus on the good that did but also view them through a balanced lens’s cause remember not every culture is perfect wether it be the Romans , Vikings , or Benin they are human and humans can make horrible mistakes and decisions .This video about the Benin is true but they left out the negative stuff which is understandable not honest but still understandable .
I done see why obaseki be betrayal
I done see where the betrayal mind from come when our governor of edo state get .. that’s why he betrayal our man osho baba
No bye sail
If we were so strong, why don’t we ask for our own nation since it was interrupted by the British government. Please we need our own country out of Nigeria.
Why? It would just cause more division and hate.
@@Ehigator. That is not a good reason my brother, we a country before the British came, we were not Nigerians will it not be great if find our own identity.
@@sylvesterorumwense7966 Ok now I see thank you for informing me about it and I agree Benin should it’s own country although maybe some in the country would see themselves as Nigerians seeing as so many years what passed and they have sort of assimilated with Nigerian culture and that might start some civil war or something.
$200,000
The West vs The West.
I wish the great Benin kingdom was never part of this present day Nigeria. It seem an unequal yoke
British mess the world up
Nice piece 👍. But it would have been great to do the due diligence of knowing how to pronounce those names. Your pronunciation murdered them again, over a century later after they were first murdered by the British.
British own Benin City alot apologies
Org