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Ideas that underpinned an empire.
這些觀念構成了整個帝國的基礎
The public were fascinated,
公眾在沉迷的同時
but also troubled by what they saw.
也對眼見所見感到憂慮
What bothered them was that
他們困惑的是
this was the work of an African society
這些杰出的藝術品來自非洲社會
and almost everybody in the 19th century believed that
而在十九世紀幾乎所有人都認為
Africans lacked the technical skills needed to produce great art
非洲缺乏誕生偉大藝術所必須的技術水平
and the cultural sophistication needed to appreciate it.
以及需要欣賞這些所需的文化多樣性
It was, in fact, widely believed that the people
事實上 那時的人們廣泛認為
of the Dark Continent had no history and no culture
非洲大陸既無歷史也無文化
and were incapable of generating this thing called civilisation.
更是無法創造文明
These reliefs that so disturbed the Victorians
這些困擾著維多利亞時期人們的雕塑
are the Benin Bronzes.
被稱作貝寧青銅器
They're now regarded as one of Africa's greatest treasures.
如今它們被視作非洲最偉大的藝術寶藏之一
Created from the 16th century onwards
自十六世紀其誕生起
in the ancient West African kingdom,
它們便記錄著古西非王國
they record Benin's great kings,
貝寧王國的歷任國王
her wealth, her military power
所擁有的財富和軍事力量
and the history that Africans were supposed to lack.
以及從未被認為存在的非洲歷史
I've been coming to see these works of art my whole life.
我的一生中曾多次見過這些藝術品
I was first brought to see them
當我的家人帶著我第一次見到它們時
when I was just a little boy by my family.
我還是個小孩
I've spent hours and hours over the years standing here
這些年我花了無數個小時
looking at them and, as someone born in Africa,
凝視著它們 作為一個在非洲人出生的人
feeling a strong sense of connection to them.
我能感受到與這些藝術品之間的心靈相通
But despite all their beauty,
盡管它們如此美麗
they are to me tragic works of art,
對我而言卻是一件件悲劇性的作品
because they are loaded with a sense of loss.
因為它們的到來承載著慘痛的代價
And that's because today
那是因為今天
they're not in Nigeria among the people
它們無法回到尼日利亞人的手中
whose ancestors made them,
他們的先祖鑄造了這些藝術品
they're here in London, in the British Museum.
它們被放置在倫敦的大英博物館
The Benin Bronzes came to Britain
貝寧青銅器是作為掠奪的戰利品
as the spoils of an act of plunder.
而來到英國的
In 1897, British colonial forces attacked Benin City.
1897年 英國殖民者入侵了貝寧城
It was an act of revenge for the ambush
這次侵略是為了報復貝寧人
of an earlier British expedition.
早先伏擊了一組英國探險隊
They deposed the King, the Oba Ovonramwen, sent him into exile
殖民者廢黜了國王奧翁拉姆文
and burned his palace to the ground.
將他驅逐并將其宮殿毀之一炬
They looted the brass plaques and statues
他們掠走了曾用于裝飾宮墻的
that once decorated the palace walls,
青銅匾和青銅雕像
took them back to London and sold them off.
殖民者將其帶回倫敦拍賣掉
Some were put on display in the British Museum.
其中一些被展示在大不列顛博物館內
