Society - The Tribal Eye - Kingdom of Bronze

At the turn of the century Europeans refused to believe that the craftsmen of the Nigerian Kingdom of Benin could have made such sophisticated and beautiful bronze castings. This program traces the history of Beni and Yoruba bronzes, and examines the techniques used in making them, and the results. We see the beautiful and elegant portrait busts, plaques and standing figures which read as impressive chronicles of the elaborate court life under the autocratic Obas of Benin.