Barnaby Phillips

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Barnaby Phillips (born 1968) is an historian and conservationist. He is Senior Communications Adviser for the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI), working to shut down the ivory trade and save Africa's elephants. [1] Previously, he worked as a television and radio correspondent. He was a Senior Correspondent for Al Jazeera English, the 24-hour international television news channel based in Doha in Qatar, and owned by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network. He was based in the Greek capital of Athens, and later moved to Al Jazeera's main European base in London. He was formerly with the BBC for 15 years and from 2001 was its Southern Africa Correspondent. He has extensive experience in several continents, and reported on major news stories from 1991-2018. His first book, Another Man's War, was published in September 2014. His second book, Loot; Britain and the Benin Bronzes was published in 2021. [2] [3] It tells the story of the Benin Empire (located in modern-day Nigeria), how its treasures were looted in 1897 by the British military, what happened to them next, and examines the current debate about restitution. 'Loot' was shortlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Crown Award. The judges described it as 'a balanced and expertly-written history of how the world-famous Benin bronzes were stolen and their fate, which dives deep into the moral and ethical dilemmas of museums and collectors today.' [4]

Contents


Early life

Phillips spent much of his early childhood in Kenya in East Africa, and later lived in Switzerland.

Education

Phillips was educated at Bedales School, a boarding independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire in Southern England, between the years 1981-1986, [5] followed by the University of Oxford, where he studied Modern History, and at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, from which he obtained a master's degree in African Politics and Economics.

Life and career

Phillips has worked extensively in the Middle East, West Africa, Asia and Europe and has covered major stories such as the AIDS epidemic, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the war in Liberia and the 2002 Southern African food crises, the war in Iraq, the South Asian tsunami, the Greek debt crisis and the Brexit referendum.

Phillips joined the BBC's African service in 1991, remaining until 1993. He then became the BBC's stringer in Mozambique, where he learned Portuguese. In 1997 he was based in Angola for most of the year. In 1998, he became the BBC's Nigeria Correspondent, based in Lagos, Nigeria, and in 2001 was appointed Southern Africa Correspondent. Whilst at the BBC, he worked extensively in the Middle East, West Africa and Asia, and has covered major stories such as the AIDS epidemic, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the wars in Liberia and Iraq, the 2002 Southern African food crises, and the South Asian tsunami. He joined Al-Jazeera in 2006 and became one of its Europe Correspondents, based in Athens. [6] He has also reported from the Balkans and from regions outside Europe, such as the Turkish/Iraq border, and on the general elections in the United States (2008) and India (2009). He moved to London in December 2010, after Al Jazeera closed its Athens bureau, to continue reporting on European news stories. [7] [8] [9]

In 2011, Phillips directed and presented the documentary "Burma Boy", for Al Jazeera's Correspondent series. [10] The documentary, tracing the extraordinary life of a Nigerian veteran of a Burma campaign, Isaac Fadoyebo, won a CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2012. [11] His book Another Man's War, published in 2014, tells the same story, and also examines the legacy of British rule in Nigeria and Burma. [12] It tells the dramatic story of the survival of Isaac Fadoyebo, a Nigerian soldier who was part of the forgotten African army that fought in Burma for the British in the Second World War. Another Man's War was described by The Daily Telegraph as a "profoundly moving" book that "ranks alongside such classics of wartime literature as The Great Escape and Darkness Be My Friend". [13] The Spectator said it was "an extraordinary story, very well told". [14] NPR in the United States described it as "riveting" and chose it as "one of the Best Books of 2014"'. [15] The Times Literary Supplement said it was "impressive....a gripping military history which brings African witnesses to the dying days of the British Empire out of the shadows". [16] Another Man's War came out in paperback in June 2015. The Guardian described it as a 'lucid, exquisitely detailed' book. [17]

Most recently, Phillips reported from the Central African Republic and Ukraine. He also played a prominent role in the reporting of the January 2015 Paris attacks, and of the Greek debt crisis. In 2016, Phillips was appointed Al Jazeera's UK Correspondent, and led the coverage of the June 2016 Brexit referendum. He left Al Jazeera in 2018, to take up the post of Director of Communications with the Elephant Protection Initiative. [18]

Phillips' second book, Loot- Britain and the Benin Bronzes was published in 2021, and was widely reviewed. Prospect Magazine listed it as one of its 'Best Books of the Year'. [19] The Financial Times said it was 'gripping...a must read'. [20] The Economist said it 'adds new and much-needed context to the story of the Edo empire and its bloody finale'. [21] The Evening Standard said this 'compelling book is full of African voices...balanced, sternly critical of the Brits when that is appropriate, but at the same time humane, reasonable, and ultimately optimistic.' [22] The Times Literary Supplement said it was 'a balanced reconstruction of the Benin saga and probes the difficult choices facing European – and Nigerian – museums….Phillips excels at tracing the roundabout ways in which objects could find their way into museums.' [23] The Sunday Times said it was 'perfect timing for this valuable guide to a complex narrative', [24] The Spectator described it as a 'gripping work of live history...It is the handling of this seeping undertone of racism that makes this book so valuable, a primer for the debate on colonial guilt and echoing white supremacy.' [25] In the United States, The Wall Street Journal said 'Mr. Phillips has written a humane and thoughtful book, devoid of the sort of posturing that mars the debate over the repatriation of objects brought to the West during the colonial era.' [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benin City</span> Capital city of Edo State, Nigeria

Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, southern Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano, and Ibadan.

The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition by a British force of 1,200 men under Sir Harry Rawson. It came in response to the ambush and slaughter of a 250 strong party led by British Acting Consul General James Phillips of the Niger Coast Protectorate. Rawson's troops captured Benin City and the Kingdom of Benin was eventually absorbed into colonial Nigeria. The expedition freed captives held by the Oba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oba of Benin</span> Traditional ruler of the Edo people

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 has continued to be mostly populated by the Edo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bight of Benin</span> Bight in the Gulf of Guinea

The Bight of Benin or Bay of Benin is a bight in the Gulf of Guinea area on the western African coast that derives its name from the historical Kingdom of Benin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benin Bronzes</span> Metal plaques and sculptures taken during the British expedition in the Kingdom of Benin in 1897

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. The metal plaques were produced by the Guild of Benin Bronze Casters, now located in Igun Street, also known as Igun-Eronmwon Quarters. Collectively, the objects form the best examples of Benin art and were created from the fourteenth century by artists of the Edo people. The plaques, which in the Edo language are called Ama, depict scenes or represent themes in the history of the kingdom. Apart from the plaques, other sculptures in brass or bronze include portrait heads, jewelry, and smaller pieces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rageh Omaar</span> Somali-born journalist and writer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micah Garen</span> American filmmaker

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art of the Kingdom of Benin</span>

Benin art is the art from the Kingdom of Benin or Edo Empire (1440–1897), a pre-colonial African state located in what is now known as the Southern region of Nigeria. Primarily made of cast bronze and carved ivory, Benin art was produced mainly for the court of the Oba of Benin – a divine ruler for whom the craftsmen produced a range of ceremonially significant objects. The full complexity of these works can be appreciated through the awareness and consideration of two complementary cultural perceptions of the art of Benin: the Western appreciation of them primarily as works of art, and their understanding in Benin as historical documents and as mnemonic devices to reconstruct history, or as ritual objects. This original significance is of great importance in Benin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Benin</span> West African kingdom (1180–1897)

The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom or Benin Kingdom, is a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's capital was Edo, now known as Benin City in Edo State, Nigeria. The Benin Kingdom was "one of the oldest and most developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa". It grew out of the previous Edo Kingdom of Igodomigodo around the 11th century AD, and lasted until it was annexed by the British Empire in 1897.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benin ivory mask</span> Pair of ivory pendant masks from Benin Kingdom

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Robert Phillips</span> British colonial administrator (1863 - 1897)

James Robert Phillips was the deputy commissioner and consul for the Niger Coast Protectorate. He is remembered for his part in the events that led to the Benin Expedition of 1897. In 1897, Phillips set out to petition the Oba of Benin, although his reasons for doing so remain unclear. He and his party were ambushed and slaughtered as they approached Benin City, with Phillips being among the casualties. Though Phillips had acted without consulting the Royal Niger Company authorities, after his death the British government dispatched an punitive expedition against the Benin monarchy, which the force defeated and deposed, leading to the kingdom's eventual absorption into colonial Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okukor</span> Historical bronze statue from Benin City in Nigeria

Okukor is the name given to a bronze statue of a cock from West Africa, held by Jesus College, Cambridge, from 1905 to 2021. One of the Benin bronzes, it was taken from the Kingdom of Benin during the Benin Expedition of 1897, a punitive expedition dispatched to punish the Oba of Benin after a Royal Niger Company delegation was ambushed and killed. It became controversial in 2016 as an example of looted art, with demands that the statue be repatriated back to Nigeria. It was transferred to Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, and Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments by Jesus College in 2021.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benin Altar Tusk</span> Series of 16th-century Ivory Artefact from Benin Kingdom

Benin Altar Tusks are ivory artefacts from the Benin Kingdom in present-day Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. These tusks date back to the 16th century and measure approximately 61 inches (1,500 mm) in height, 5.2 inches (130 mm) in width, 4.7 inches (120 mm) in depth, and weighing 25 kilograms (55 lb) according to a sample at the British Museum. The tusks feature carved royal figures in traditional regalia, depicting scenes of power, ritual, and at times, conflict.

References

  1. ↑ {https://www.elephantprotectioninitiative.org/the-secretariat}
  2. ↑ "Loot".
  3. ↑ "Oneworld to publish story of Benin Bronzes and colonial dispossession | the Bookseller".
  4. ↑ "HWA Crown Awards 2022: The shortlists – Historia Magazine".
  5. ↑ Bedales Association and Old Bedalian Newsletter 2012 (Page 26 - 3rd entry) Archived 4 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Bedales Association, 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  6. ↑ "Curtis Brown". www.curtisbrown.co.uk.
  7. ↑ Al Jazeera International announces Barnaby Phillips as European correspondent Archived 27 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Publisher: Ameinfo.com Published: 8 February 2006. Retrieved: 4 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Barnaby Phillips - Europe Correspondent Publisher: Al Jazeera. Retrieved: 4 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Nilanjana Gupta Publisher: Nilanjana Gupta. Retrieved: 4 December 2012.
  10. ↑ "The Burma Boy". www.aljazeera.com.
  11. ↑ "SPRING 2012 CINE GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD RECIPIENTS". CINE (Council on International Nontheatrical Events). Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Another Man's War | Oneworld". Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
  13. ↑ Blair, David (15 September 2014). "Another Man's War by Barnaby Phillips, review, 'profoundly moving'" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  14. ↑ "The forgotten flank of the forgotten corps of the Forgotten Army » The Spectator". Archived from the original on 7 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "NPR's Book Concierge".
  16. ↑ http://www.thetls.co.uk/tls/multimedia/archive/01120/Contents_Jan_9_1120902a.pdf [ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ Mark, Monica (15 August 2015). "From Nigeria to Burma's jungle: courage and compassion in the war with Japan". The Observer– via www.theguardian.com.
  18. ↑ "Barnaby Phillips leaves al Jazeera English".
  19. ↑ "Prospect's best books of 2021: history". Prospect . London. 9 December 2021.
  20. ↑ Herwitz, Daniel (3 March 2021). "Can museums adapt to a changing world?". Financial Times.
  21. ↑ "The looted Benin bronzes should be returned". The Economist. 31 March 2021.
  22. ↑ "Two new books about the Benin bronzes: The pressure ramps up". 26 March 2021.
  23. ↑ "Loot: The ongoing conflict over African artefacts in European hands".
  24. ↑ Crompton, Sarah. "Loot by Barnaby Phillips review — the fight over the Benin Bronzes".
  25. ↑ "The problem of the Benin Bronzes will never go away | the Spectator". 22 April 2021.
  26. ↑ Varadarajan, Tunku (4 June 2021). "'Loot' Review: Plunder's Revenge". Wall Street Journal.
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