I just finished reading @BarnabyPhillips remarkable book 📕 Another Man's War: The Story of a Burma Boy in Britain’s Forgotten African Army—my first book of 2025—and I’m still captivated by its profound narrative.
@Rixpoet@dwnews Hi Onyango - i'm not sure of the archive situation in Kenya but the Imperial War Museum in London has superb archive of West Africans in Burma, and hence I suspect of East Africans as well.
@aroberts_andrew I think that any paper that *still* confuses the Republic of Benin with Benin City (and the Benin Bronzes) will struggle to convince the undecided, let alone change minds.
Barnaby Phillips reports on how the gradual return of Asante artefacts is being received in Ghana – and asks if the loans from UK museums go far enough.
If you're interested in British empire & history of @britishmuseum and not yet seen the BM's Hew Locke exhibition do go- it runs to Feb 9th. Very stimulating. (And some fab books on sale!)
And, predictably, something on the ‘looted’ Benin Bronzes.
On the basis of this I’d say the chances of the Elgin (Parthenon) Marbles remaining in the U.K. are nil.
The @HornimanMuseum opens a Great Benin Kingdom exhibition...with great Benin art, old & new. On the 2nd anniversary of its transfer of ownership of its Benin Bronzes to Nigeria @NCMMHQ
100 yrs ago this week King Prempeh returned to Asante
from distant Seychelles after 28 years exile. Britain sent +70 Asante political prisoners to Seychelles. Today in Kumasi celebrations of the Asante kingdom's survival...with the President of Seychelles.
Ratton was convinced by Bill Fagg to sell it on 'sans profit' to Asantehehe Opoku Ware. Today I saw it in Kumasi- in regular use as a royal gun-bearers hat, as intended all those years ago.
One small story of return. 1974 Christies sold a gold plated hat 'Property of a Lady...taken by Lt Cowan..from the dressingroom of Asantehene..Kumasi 1874'. The Paris dealer Charles Ratton bought it, £2,520
At least 18 protesters and a police officer have died during weeks of unrest across Mozambique since the October 9 election. Frelimo, the ruling party for nearly 50 years, was declared the winner, but opposition parties claim widespread electoral fraud.
EXCL: Chx gives BBC World Service a 25% uplift in govt grant next year, in soft power boost
@FT is told it's an extra £27mn, on top of baseline £104mn
Budget confirmed funding increase, but (oddly) not amount
Comes as UK struggles to counter rise in Russian/Chinese propaganda
Story w/ @danielthomasldn
https://t.co/uaowwczm6x