Auction of Biafra artefacts by British Christie jam Nigeria, Okeke-Agulu opposition - See artworks like Bangwa Queen, Maqdala treasures, Rosetta Stone, Man-eaters of Tsavo, Benin Bronzes dem tiff
Di Nigerian goment and one prominent art historian don call on di popular auction house, Christie, to cancel di sale of two Nigerian sculptures wey dem put up for auction.
Prof Chika Okeke-Agulu tell di BBC say dem 'loot' di two objects from shrines for south-eastern Nigeria during di civil war for di late 1960s. Christie reject am, say di sale dey perfectly legal. Dem wan sell di item for $280,000-$390,000 (£230,00-£320,000). Di wooden objects wey be about 1.5 metres high, one male and one female, represent deities from di Igbo community, dia hands dey ace upwards waiting to receive sacrifices and gifts. One online petition wit ova 2,000 signatories don call for dem to cancel di sale. Oda Art work wey dem don loot from Africa Benin Bronzes Di Benin Bronzes na collection of delicate sculptures and plaques wey bin dey for di royal palace of di Oba, Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, for di Kingdom of Benin. Dem carve am out of ivory, brass, ceramic and wood. Many of di pieces na for di ancestral altars of past kings and queen mothers. For 1897, di British launch one expedition against Benin, sake of one attack on a British diplomatic expedition. Apart from bronze sculptures and plaques, dem carry oda royal objects sake of dis mission and scatter am all ova di world. Di British Museum for London says many of di objects from Benin wey dey dia collection, na Foreign Office and di Lords Commisiioners of di Admiralty give dem for 1898. For October, top museums for Europe agree to loan crucial artefacts back to Nigeria for di new Royal Museum, wey dem wan open for 2021. Man-eaters of Tsavo Dis na two infamous lions from di Tsavo region for Kenya, East Africa wey kill and eat railway workers on di British Kenya-Uganda railway for di end of di 19th Century. Di labourers bin dey build di railway line between Mombasa and Lake Victoria for ova nine months for 1898. One British engineer, Lieutenant Colonel John Patterson, later shoot di lions at di end of di railway project. Di Field Museum of Natural History for di US city of Chicago in 1925 later buy di stuffed lions from Patterson and dem put am for dia museum's permanent collections. Di Kenya National Museum want make dem return di lions. Rosetta Stone Di 1.12m (3ft 6in) high Rosetta Stone for di British Museum na originally from Egypt. Dem make am out of granodiorite wey be like rough rock. Na broken part of one bigger slab wit text carved on to it wey don help researchers learn how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs - one form of writing wey dem use pictures as signs. E features three columns of di same inscription for three languages: Greek, hieroglyphs and demotic Egyptian - and na di text of a decree wey priests write for 196 BC, during di reign of pharaoh Ptolemy V. E no dey clear how dem discover di stone for July 1799, but di believe be say na soldiers wey dey fight with di French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte see am. Wen dem defeat Napoleon, di British take possession of di stone under di terms of di Treaty of Alexandria for 1801. Dem later transport am to England, wen e arrive for Portsmouth for February 1802. George III offer am to di British Museum few months later. Bangwa Queen Di 32in (81cm) tall Bangwa Queen na wooden carving from Cameroon, wey dey represent di power and health of di Bangwa pipo. Na one of di world most famous pieces of African art and e get huge sacred alias holy significance for Cameroonians. Dem make di sculptures from of di titled royal wives or princesses and dem call am Bangwa Queens for di Bangwa land of present-day Lebialem district of Cameroon's South-West region. Di Bangwa Queen, dem no give am to di German colonial agent Gustav Conrau before dem colonise di territory around 1899. E end up for Museum für Völkerkunde for Berlin, before one art collector buy am for 1926. Traditional leaders of di Bangwa don dey tok wit di foundation, dey ask dem to return it to Cameroon. Maqdala treasures Di Maqdala treasures include one 18th Century gold crown and one royal wedding dress, wey di British army take from Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia) in 1868. Historians say dem use 15 elephants and 200 mules to carry away all di loot from Maqdala, Emperor Tewodros II's northern citadel capital. Di British raid Maqdala for protest at di detention of im consul wen relations between di two powers turn sour. Di crown and di royal wedding dress na significant symbols of di Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Scholars believe say dem commission di crown for di 1740s by Empress Mentewwab and her son King Iyyasu and dem give am as gift to one church for Gondar, plus one solid gold chalice. Di dress and jewellery belong to Emperor Tewodros II's widow, Queen Woyzaro Terunesh. Ethiopia lodge one claim in 2007 for di return of di antiquities. For April 2018, di V&A agree to return di treasures to Ethiopia on loan. Zimbabwe bird One soapstone sculpture of one fish eagle na Zimbabwe's main national emblem. Dem loot eight of di Zimbabwe Birds from di ruins of one ancient city. Na only eight of di birds dem recover. Dem bin dey stand on di walls and monoliths of di ancient city built between di 12th and 15th Centuries by di ancestors of di Shona pipo. Seven of di carvings dey Zimbabwe since 2003 wen Germany return di bottom section of one E end up for di hands of one German missionary wey sell am to di Ethnological Museum for Berlin in 1907. Den afta Soviet troops invade Germany at di end of di World War Two, Dem move from Berlin to Leningrad and remain dia to di end of di Cold War , before dem go back to Germany. Di eighth remain for di old bedroom of 19th Century British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, whose home in di South African city of Cape Town don turn museum. He don carry some number of birds from Great Zimbabwe to South Africa in 1906. South Africa returned four of dem in 1981, a year afta Zimbabwe gain independence. Calls for di return of African artefacts don dey grow in recent years, and di BlackLivesMatter protests dey ginger di demands.