07/09/2024
**Title: The Bronze Head of Benin**
By: Ode Clement Igoni
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**Scene 1: Benin City Before the Invasion**
**Opening shot**: Wide view of Benin City. The royal palace stands tall in the distance, artisans work with bronze, and bustling markets fill the air with sounds of life.
**CUT TO:**
**INT. BENIN PALACE – DAY**
*The camera moves inside the grand palace where Oba Ovonramwen is seated on his throne, surrounded by advisors and priests.*
**OBANOSA (Chief Adviser):**
*(Urgent tone)*
"My Oba, the British grow bolder with each passing day. They demand free trade and access to our lands."
**OBANOSA:**
"Your refusal has stirred anger in them, but the kingdom stands behind you, my king."
**OBA OVONRAMWEN:**
*(Firm and resolute)*
"I will not bend to foreign powers. The spirits of our ancestors will protect our lands."
*The camera focuses on the Oba's stern expression, cutting to the Bronze Head being sculpted nearby—a symbol of the kingdom's divine heritage.*
---
**Scene 2: British Arrival**
**EXT. EDO COASTLINE – DAY**
*British warships appear on the horizon, approaching with determination. The waves crash violently against their hulls.*
**INT. BRITISH SHIP – ADMIRAL’S QUARTERS**
*Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, Consul General Phillips, and other officers discuss their strategy.*
**PHILLIPS:**
*(Confident, leaning over a map)*
"Benin has resisted long enough. We’ll demand entry into the city. Their king will have no choice but to submit."
**ADMIRAL RAWSON:**
*(Cautiously)*
"And if they don’t?"
**PHILLIPS:**
*(Smiling darkly)*
"Then we’ll show them the might of the British Empire."
---
**Scene 3: The Ambush**
**EXT. JUNGLE PATH – DAY**
*The British delegation marches along a narrow jungle path, soldiers and porters following Phillips' lead. The dense vegetation closes in around them.*
**CUT TO:**
*Edo warriors hidden in the bushes, waiting in silence. A signal is given.*
**ACTION SEQUENCE:**
*Spears fly through the air, arrows strike the British. Panic ensues as the delegation is ambushed. Quick cuts show the chaos of battle: warriors leaping from the trees, British soldiers retreating.*
**SURVIVING BRITISH SOLDIER:**
*(Terrified, running back to the outpost)*
"We were ambushed! Everyone... dead!"
---
**Scene 4: The British Punitive Expedition**
**EXT. BENIN CITY OUTSKIRTS – DAY**
*The camera follows British forces as they march toward Benin, rifles ready, cannons being pulled by soldiers.*
**ADMIRAL RAWSON:**
*(Riding his horse at the front of the troops)*
"We move at dawn. No mercy. The Oba must be brought to justice."
**EXT. BENIN CITY WALLS – DAY**
*Edo warriors stand ready behind the city walls, drums beating loudly. Obanosa and other commanders prepare for battle.*
**OBANOSA:**
*(To the warriors)*
"Today we fight for our ancestors, for our king, for the land that gave us life. The British will not take what is ours!"
**ACTION SEQUENCE:**
*British forces storm the city. Gunfire erupts, cannons blast the walls, and the Edo warriors fight bravely with spears, arrows, and sheer determination. The battle is brutal, the sounds of war thunderous.*
**CUT TO:**
*The British overwhelm the defenders and breach the palace gates.*
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**Scene 5: Looting of the Palace**
**INT. BENIN PALACE – NIGHT**
*The palace is in chaos. British soldiers move through the grand halls, eyes gleaming with greed as they seize treasures. The camera moves through the palace showing sculptures, bronzes, and ivories scattered on the ground.*
**SOLDIER #1:**
*(Holding up a bronze plaque)*
"Look at this craftsmanship. They must be worth a fortune."
*Another soldier approaches the Bronze Head, its intricate detail gleaming under the dim torchlight.*
**SOLDIER #2:**
*(In awe, lifting the Bronze Head)*
"This must be it—the legendary Bronze Head of Benin. A king’s crown, in our hands."
*The camera pans to an elderly palace priest, standing helplessly in the shadows, tears streaming down his face as he watches the sacred object being stolen.*
**ELDER PRIEST:**
*(Whispering, heartbroken)*
"You desecrate the spirit of our people… you steal what is not yours."
**SOLDIER #2:**
*(Scoffing, carrying the head away)*
"Well, it is now."
---
# # # **Scene 6: Oba Ovonramwen’s Exile**
**EXT. FOREST – NIGHT**
*Oba Ovonramwen, dressed in tattered royal robes, walks through the dense forest with his closest followers. Exhaustion and sorrow weigh heavily on him.*
**OBA OVONRAMWEN:**
*(Speaking to his followers)*
"The kingdom... our ancestors... all lost. But the spirit of Benin lives on in our hearts. They may take our city, but they will never understand our soul."
*The sound of British soldiers approaching grows louder. Oba Ovonramwen stops, ready to face his fate.*
**OBA OVONRAMWEN:**
*(Resigned, yet defiant)*
"Let them come. My exile is only the beginning. Benin will rise again."
---
**Scene 7: The Aftermath**
**INT. BRITISH MUSEUM – DAY**
*The camera moves through the British Museum, where the looted bronzes are on display behind glass cases. Tourists admire the art, unaware of the pain it carries.*
**CUT TO:**
**EXT. BENIN CITY – DAY (YEARS LATER)**
*The ruins of the palace remain, but new structures are being built. The people of Edo work diligently to rebuild their lives.*
**CUT TO:**
**INT. BENIN VILLAGE – NIGHT**
*An elder sits by a fire, surrounded by children. His voice is soft but steady as he tells the ancient story of the Bronze Head.*
**ELDER:**
*(Voice-over narration)*
"They took what was sacred to us, what held the spirit of our ancestors. But the bronze... the bronze still speaks to us. It has not forgotten its true home. One day, it will return to us."
---
**Closing Scene:**
*The screen fades to black, with the faint sound of drums in the background and the final image of the Bronze Head in the British Museum.*
**TEXT:**
*"The Benin Bronzes remain in museums around the world, but efforts to return them to Nigeria continue."
