In the sleepy Nigerian port town of Koko, the reminder of a forgotten invasion by the British more than a century ago has itself been forgotten.
A statue of Nanna Olomu, the Nigerian merchant prince forced into exile by the British in Accra in 1894, stands outside the bungalow where he lived from when he returned in 1906 until his death 10 years later. Officially known as the Nanna Living History Museum, the building was designated a national monument in 1990.
The Koko museum’s board said discussions were ongoing about the possibility of getting artefacts back from the UK. “[We have] to continue pressing for the return of our properties,” said Erikowa, who is also custodian of the Itsekiri royal cemetery in Ijala-Warri.
Experts such as Ayida say the discourse on reparation needs to extend beyond the “general oversimplification of British colonial history in west Africa that tends to focus on Benin” to include other overlooked groups, and foster healing of historical wounds everywhere.
