Benin and Back

A performance by award-winning British Nigerian poet Inua Ellams. Presenting newly created works commissioned in response to the restitution of the «Benin Bronzes» by Swiss museums this summer. Also including the work of young Nigerian poets written to celebrate the bronzes homecoming.

In June 2026 eighteen artefacts from the Kingdom of Benin were returned to Nigeria by three Swiss museums, the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, the Rietberg Museum and the Musée d’ethnographie of Geneva. The courtly and religious objects are among the famous «Benin Bronzes», which were looted from the Kingdom of Benin–in modern-day Nigeria–at the end of the 19th century.
Inua Ellams was a poet in residence at the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich in 2025, and travelled to Nigeria to witness the return of the Bronzes. He will present several new works commissioned by the participating museums to honor this historical moment.
Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is an award winning poet, playwright & curator. Identity, Displacement & Destiny are recurring themes in his work in which he mixes the old with the new, traditional with the contemporary.

Inua Ellams

Born in Nigeria in 1984, Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer, and curator. He is a Complete Works poet alumni and facilitates workshops in creative writing where he explores reoccurring themes in his work–Identity, Displacement and Destiny–in accessible, enjoyable ways for participants of all ages and backgrounds. His work has been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Tate Modern, Louis Vuitton, Film 4, BBC Radio & Television and more. He founded and curates: THE MIDNIGHT RUN – an arts-filled, night-time, urban walking experience; THE R.A.P PARTY – (Rhythm And Poetry) – which celebrates Poetry & HipHop; POETRY + FILM / HACK (P+F/H) – which celebrates Poetry & Film; REEL MIX – which explore interpretation in filmmaking – and several other live event and literary initiatives. In 2022, he founded 05Fest, a festival which draws together all of his events. He is a member of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of Arts, and board member of the Poetry In Translation Centre, and Complicité Theatre.
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Sprache:

Englisch

Eintritt:

CHF 20.00

Ermässigt:

CHF 10.00

Tickets:

an der Tageskasse

Veranstaltungsort:

Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich
Pelikanstrasse 40
8001 Zürich
Veranstaltungsraum im Erdgeschoss des Museums. Maximale Anzahl Plätze: 25