Two of the Oba of Benin's ancestral altars, 1936 - 03270015

Ọmọ n'Ọba n'Ẹdo Uku Akpọlọkpọlọ, Akenzua II (7 January 1899 – 11 June 1978) was the

Oba of Benin The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Dah ...

(traditional leader of the

Edo people The Edo or Benin people are an Edoid ethnic group primarily found in Edo State, Southern part of Nigeria. They speak the Edo language and are the descendants of the founders of the Benin Empire. They are closely related to other ethnic group ...

, in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

) from 1933 until his death in 1978. Akenzua II was enthroned as Oba of Benin in April 1933 following the death of his father, Eweka II (r.1914 – 1933) in February that year. Oba Akenzua II was dedicated to the provision of western education for his subjects, the

. In 1936, he began the movement to return to

the

Benin Bronzes The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Edo State, Nigeria. Collectively, the objects form the best examples of Benin art and were cre ...

looted from the royal compounds and ancestral altars in the

punitive Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular acti ...

Benin Expedition of 1897 The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition by a British force of 1,200 men under Sir Harry Rawson in response to the ambush of a previous British party under Acting Consul General James Phillips, of the Niger Coast Protectorate. ...

. During his reign, only two of the 3,000 royal court bronzes were returned. However, two coral crowns and coral bead garment, thought to have belonged to

Ovonramwen Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (ruled 1888–1897), also called Overami, was the Ọba (king) of the Kingdom of Benin up until the British punitive expedition of 1897. Born circa 1857, he was the son of Ọba Adọlọ. He took the name Ovọnramwẹn ...

, were returned to him in the late 1930s by G.M. Miller a son of a member of the Benin expedition, who had loaned the pieces to the British Museum in 1935. Oba Akenzua II died on 11 June 1978, when he was succeeded by his son, then Prince Solomon, who took on the title of Oba

Erediauwa Erediauwa (22 June 1923 – April 2016) was the 39th Oba of Benin, traditional ruler of the Edo people in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Formerly known as Prince Solomon Akenzua, Oba Erediauwa's full title was ''His Royal Majesty Omo n'Oba n ...

and duties as the traditional leader of the Edo people in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

Family

In 1923 his first son, Prince Solomon Aiseokhuoba Igbinoghodua Akenzua, was born. His chosen title was founded on the name Ere, relating to Oba Eresonye who is traditionally considered to be an incredibly wealthy Oba. Akenzua's descendants include his daughter

Princess Elizabeth Olowu Princess Elizabeth Olowu is a Nigerian sculptor and the daughter of Oba Akenzua II, who was a leader of the Edo people in what is now Benin City, Nigeria. Olowu works in bronze, a traditional material for her people (see Benin Bronzes), and is k ...

, granddaughter

Peju Layiwola Peju Layiwola is an art Historian and visual artist from Nigeria who works in a variety of media and genre. She is listed as a "21st Century Avant-Garde" in the book ''Art Cities of the Future'' published by Phaidon Press She is currently a Pr ...

, and grandson

Thompson Iyamu Thompson Iyamu (born 22 October 1968), known by his stage name P Tee Money, is a British DJ/EDM producer, singer and remixer. He is also an author and actor. Iyamu is a grandson of Akenzua II, Oba of Benin from 1933 – 1978. He is also the found ...

References

External links

*https://books.google.com/books/about/Oba_Akenzua_II_C_M_G.html?id=Sr0MAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y *http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/benin/artwork/190979 1978 deaths 1899 births Nigerian royalty Place of birth missing Place of death missing Edo people 19th-century Nigerian people 20th-century Nigerian people Akenzua family Obas of Benin {{Nigeria-bio-stub

Family

See also

References

External links