RESTITUTION STUDY GROUP DELIVERS AFRODESCENDANT BENIN BRONZE OWNERSHIP CLAIM ON FLOOR OF UNITED NATIONS, GENEVA

Restitution Study Group, delivered compelling statement at UN, urging action on the ownership and management of the Benin bronzes -- $30b slave trade relics.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, April 18, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- RESTITUTION STUDY GROUP DELIVERS AFRODESCENDANT BENIN BRONZE OWNERSHIP CLAIM ON FLOOR OF UNITED NATIONS, GENEVA

Today, Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely, Harlem, USA’s Ambassador to the United Nations, and Antonio Isuperio of Brazil, representing the Restitution Study Group (RSG), delivered a compelling statement at the United Nations, urging action on the ownership and management of the Benin bronzes -- 16th to 19th century iconic relics made with slave trade manillas worth $30b in today’s currency. The statement was delivered during the Arts and Culture Panel Discussion at the 3rd session of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent in Geneva, Switzerland. This session, which commenced on April 16th, will continue until April 19th.

“Our ancestors paid for these Benin bronzes with their lives and we pay for them with our suffering today,” said Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, Executive Director of the RSG. “Yet our connection has been ignored for over a century by museums who still refuse to include the slave trade origin of the brass relics in exhibit captions.” "We have Benin Kingdom DNA too. Our claim of ownership is moral and legitimate" she said.

The Restitution Study Group’s statement outlined five key points:
Recognition: Emphasizing the slave trade origin of the Benin bronzes, calling for global acknowledgment of this historical context.

Inclusion: Advocating for the inclusion of Afrodescendants in the global management of these cultural relics.

Ownership Rights: Asserting Afrodescendants’ rights to ownership of the Benin bronzes.

Provenance Research: Proposing the implementation of the PFPAD protocol for provenance research, considering the slave trade origin of the Benin bronzes and all African artifacts to prevent repatriation to slave trader heirs and ensure protection of the moral ownership rights of Afrodescendants.

Healing Dialogue: Encouraging dialogue between Nigeria, the Benin kingdom, and Afrodescendants on the issue of the slave trade Benin bronzes for mutual understanding and healing.

They also announced the forthcoming establishment of the Benin Kingdom Museum in Harlem USA — a place for cultural heritage education, atonement and healing. http://www.theBKM.org

The Restitution Study Group’s impassioned plea at the United Nations reflects a global call for justice, recognition, and healing concerning the ownership and legacy of the Benin bronzes. They ask for social justice and cultural education foundations, as well as entities built on the slave trade to help repair the lost culture and heritage of Afrodescendants due to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade by contributing much needed funds to the museum effort.

UN Statement footage: https://videopress.com/v/rohMkDNw

They Belong to All of Us – The Benin Bronze Slave Trade Story, Dir. Cut: https://videopress.com/v/TXOq2GdB
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For media or funding inquiries, please contact:
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, J.D., M.A., Executive Director
Restitution Study Group, www.rsgincorp.org, 917-365-3007
The Restitution Study Group is a 501-c-3 non-profit

Deadria Celeste Farmer-Paellmann
Restitution Study Group,Inc.
+1 917-365-3007
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