... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the or... more ... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the origin of the Eweka dynasty is the use of historiog-raphy in ... A major but controversial work is the book by Chief Daniel Nabuleleorogie Oronsaye entitled The History of Ancient Benin Kingdom and Empire (1995). ...
The evolution of political institutions before 1800 derived from the origins of social complexity... more The evolution of political institutions before 1800 derived from the origins of social complexity, and the responses to local geographical factors, not least of which were contacts with other cultures or their influences that stimulated the emergence of a wide range of diverse power structures and socio-political superstructures for state management. The wielding of authority and the function of governing was closely related to the emergence of the state, its management, and political institutions’ evolution. The wide variety of state structures is also derived from the many trajectories of state formation. The mega- and mini-states’ political structures reflect diverse power structures, authority, and organizational structures. The most common of the politically organized community was the kingdom, which was a territorial unit with a kingship system, though Great Benin Empire, Oyo Empire, and Kanem–Borno Empire engaged in empire-building to enlarge the size of their territories and the influence of their power and authority in a wider geographical area.
The experiment with liberal democracy in Zimbabwe in the first two decades of independence revolv... more The experiment with liberal democracy in Zimbabwe in the first two decades of independence revolved around five major problems: first, the controversy over the prospect of a one-party state; second, the marginalization of, and problem of weak opposition parties until the year 2000; third, the combinations and compromises between competitors for power which led to the dominance of one-party politics; fourth, the strength of the state vis-a-vis that of society, as manifested in the desire of the state for predominance, in which the society remained at the mercy of the ruling party and the state; and finally, the authoritarian political authority of Robert Mugabe as reflected in his great personal power within his party and the state This paper is an attempt to explain the origins of the problem and the nature of the struggle for power in Zimbabwe, providing an analytical account of the interplay of political conflict in the competition between the ruling elite and the opposition from 1980 to 2000. The outbreak of civil war in Matabeleland in the first decade of independence did much to intensify the bitterness of political intolerance. From 1990-1995, the opposition agenda was interpreted as problem of elite completion but as political crisis lingered from 1996-2000, the wind of change led to the emergence of the Movement for Democratic Change MDC) that provided the stimulus for a new social basis of opposition politics in 2000.
... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the or... more ... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the origin of the Eweka dynasty is the use of historiog-raphy in ... A major but controversial work is the book by Chief Daniel Nabuleleorogie Oronsaye entitled The History of Ancient Benin Kingdom and Empire (1995). ...
... The Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies. Kate Ezra, 1992, Royal Art of Benin: The Pearls ... more ... The Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies. Kate Ezra, 1992, Royal Art of Benin: The Pearls Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ... Osayomwanbo Osemwegie-Ero, a local historian of Benin, suggests 40 BC as the possible date. ...
The International Journal of African Historical Studies, 2011
Introduction The extension of British power over the Benin Empire followed the invasion and conqu... more Introduction The extension of British power over the Benin Empire followed the invasion and conquest of Benin in February 1897.1 With the fall of Benin, the political system of one of the most powerful precolonial empires of Africa was overturned by the imposition of colonial rule.2 Britain's determination to control the process of political change and maintain power in the face of resistance was demonstrated in the hasty trial and deportation of the king (Oba Ovonramwen) to Calabar in September 1897. The deportation of the king of Benin demonstrated that the British did not always support strong rulers, as was also the case with King Jaja of Opobo in the Niger Delta. The regulations and measures imposed by the British led to continuing crises as the power vacuum created by the exile of the king affected the political life of Benin. The British attempted to reconfigure political power among the Benin chiefs by establishing a Native Council of chiefs "who had made their submission."3 The aim was to advise the resident on custom, sit with him in judicial hearings, and help to set the government's economic, educational, and other policies in motion.4 In theory, the British were satisfied that this arrangement would be successful. In practice, the state of the times was not particularly reassuring for political stability due to the contestation of power among Benin chiefs. The British created a new kind of structure for colonial administration in establishing a Native Council. But the Benin experience in the interregnum (the period between the conquest of Benin and the restoration of the monarchy in 1914) was quite different from the experience in Igboland, where neither a strong ruler nor a centralized bureaucracy existed.5 At the beginning of colonial administration in Benin, the British "theory" of Indirect Rule, as formulated by Frederick Lugard, was being applied in the kingdom of Buganda in East Africa and the emirates of Northern Nigeria in West Africa.6 The Benin situation, however, presented clear deviations from the policy of making use of traditional African rulers.7 The British did not rule in theory in the name of the Oba nor his nominee, but rather with the notion of the "Whiteman" as the king. However, as British influence steadily reached out, the traditional framework of government collapsed. The collapse of traditional frameworks resulted in the disruption of the existing, well-defined class and functional relationships in the indigenous political system of Benin, as was the case in other conquered territories.8 The character and methods of governance adopted by the British foreshadowed the difficulties of colonial rule that created major crises and raised a number of issues in contending with the first phase of British colonial rule in Benin from 1897 to 1914. These were reflected in the pattern of political conflict and the course of political change. The period of interregnum from 1897 to 1914 was the first phase of British colonial rule in Benin; a period that saw the first conflict of ideas and institutions used by the British to dominate Benin. This study is an attempt to assess how the ideas of the Benin political groups and the political elite shaped their actions within the parameters set by colonial rule. The colonial period represented the abrupt termination of the independence and sovereignty of African states.9 The political campaign of the royalists to restore the Benin monarchy was confronted with the inevitable change arising from colonial domination on the one hand, and the reconfiguration of power among the Benin chiefs on the other. The colonial situation had created an environment of changing structures, goals, and opportunities for new political interactions and accommodation. In this circumstance, the royalist movement began in 1899 with the struggle to bring Oba Ovonramwen back from exile. The royalists' political opponents, who benefited from colonial rule but lacked the legitimacy accorded to their precolonial counterparts, began to work against the restoration of Oba Ovonramwen to the kingship of Benin, and this generated much controversy over the restoration question. …
... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the or... more ... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the origin of the Eweka dynasty is the use of historiog-raphy in ... A major but controversial work is the book by Chief Daniel Nabuleleorogie Oronsaye entitled The History of Ancient Benin Kingdom and Empire (1995). ...
The evolution of political institutions before 1800 derived from the origins of social complexity... more The evolution of political institutions before 1800 derived from the origins of social complexity, and the responses to local geographical factors, not least of which were contacts with other cultures or their influences that stimulated the emergence of a wide range of diverse power structures and socio-political superstructures for state management. The wielding of authority and the function of governing was closely related to the emergence of the state, its management, and political institutions’ evolution. The wide variety of state structures is also derived from the many trajectories of state formation. The mega- and mini-states’ political structures reflect diverse power structures, authority, and organizational structures. The most common of the politically organized community was the kingdom, which was a territorial unit with a kingship system, though Great Benin Empire, Oyo Empire, and Kanem–Borno Empire engaged in empire-building to enlarge the size of their territories and the influence of their power and authority in a wider geographical area.
The experiment with liberal democracy in Zimbabwe in the first two decades of independence revolv... more The experiment with liberal democracy in Zimbabwe in the first two decades of independence revolved around five major problems: first, the controversy over the prospect of a one-party state; second, the marginalization of, and problem of weak opposition parties until the year 2000; third, the combinations and compromises between competitors for power which led to the dominance of one-party politics; fourth, the strength of the state vis-a-vis that of society, as manifested in the desire of the state for predominance, in which the society remained at the mercy of the ruling party and the state; and finally, the authoritarian political authority of Robert Mugabe as reflected in his great personal power within his party and the state This paper is an attempt to explain the origins of the problem and the nature of the struggle for power in Zimbabwe, providing an analytical account of the interplay of political conflict in the competition between the ruling elite and the opposition from 1980 to 2000. The outbreak of civil war in Matabeleland in the first decade of independence did much to intensify the bitterness of political intolerance. From 1990-1995, the opposition agenda was interpreted as problem of elite completion but as political crisis lingered from 1996-2000, the wind of change led to the emergence of the Movement for Democratic Change MDC) that provided the stimulus for a new social basis of opposition politics in 2000.
... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the or... more ... It seems, therefore, that Akinola's contribution to the debate on the origin of the Eweka dynasty is the use of historiog-raphy in ... A major but controversial work is the book by Chief Daniel Nabuleleorogie Oronsaye entitled The History of Ancient Benin Kingdom and Empire (1995). ...
... The Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies. Kate Ezra, 1992, Royal Art of Benin: The Pearls ... more ... The Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies. Kate Ezra, 1992, Royal Art of Benin: The Pearls Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ... Osayomwanbo Osemwegie-Ero, a local historian of Benin, suggests 40 BC as the possible date. ...
The International Journal of African Historical Studies, 2011
Introduction The extension of British power over the Benin Empire followed the invasion and conqu... more Introduction The extension of British power over the Benin Empire followed the invasion and conquest of Benin in February 1897.1 With the fall of Benin, the political system of one of the most powerful precolonial empires of Africa was overturned by the imposition of colonial rule.2 Britain's determination to control the process of political change and maintain power in the face of resistance was demonstrated in the hasty trial and deportation of the king (Oba Ovonramwen) to Calabar in September 1897. The deportation of the king of Benin demonstrated that the British did not always support strong rulers, as was also the case with King Jaja of Opobo in the Niger Delta. The regulations and measures imposed by the British led to continuing crises as the power vacuum created by the exile of the king affected the political life of Benin. The British attempted to reconfigure political power among the Benin chiefs by establishing a Native Council of chiefs "who had made their submission."3 The aim was to advise the resident on custom, sit with him in judicial hearings, and help to set the government's economic, educational, and other policies in motion.4 In theory, the British were satisfied that this arrangement would be successful. In practice, the state of the times was not particularly reassuring for political stability due to the contestation of power among Benin chiefs. The British created a new kind of structure for colonial administration in establishing a Native Council. But the Benin experience in the interregnum (the period between the conquest of Benin and the restoration of the monarchy in 1914) was quite different from the experience in Igboland, where neither a strong ruler nor a centralized bureaucracy existed.5 At the beginning of colonial administration in Benin, the British "theory" of Indirect Rule, as formulated by Frederick Lugard, was being applied in the kingdom of Buganda in East Africa and the emirates of Northern Nigeria in West Africa.6 The Benin situation, however, presented clear deviations from the policy of making use of traditional African rulers.7 The British did not rule in theory in the name of the Oba nor his nominee, but rather with the notion of the "Whiteman" as the king. However, as British influence steadily reached out, the traditional framework of government collapsed. The collapse of traditional frameworks resulted in the disruption of the existing, well-defined class and functional relationships in the indigenous political system of Benin, as was the case in other conquered territories.8 The character and methods of governance adopted by the British foreshadowed the difficulties of colonial rule that created major crises and raised a number of issues in contending with the first phase of British colonial rule in Benin from 1897 to 1914. These were reflected in the pattern of political conflict and the course of political change. The period of interregnum from 1897 to 1914 was the first phase of British colonial rule in Benin; a period that saw the first conflict of ideas and institutions used by the British to dominate Benin. This study is an attempt to assess how the ideas of the Benin political groups and the political elite shaped their actions within the parameters set by colonial rule. The colonial period represented the abrupt termination of the independence and sovereignty of African states.9 The political campaign of the royalists to restore the Benin monarchy was confronted with the inevitable change arising from colonial domination on the one hand, and the reconfiguration of power among the Benin chiefs on the other. The colonial situation had created an environment of changing structures, goals, and opportunities for new political interactions and accommodation. In this circumstance, the royalist movement began in 1899 with the struggle to bring Oba Ovonramwen back from exile. The royalists' political opponents, who benefited from colonial rule but lacked the legitimacy accorded to their precolonial counterparts, began to work against the restoration of Oba Ovonramwen to the kingship of Benin, and this generated much controversy over the restoration question. …
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