Adesuwa, age 10, and Akugbe, age 11, are going to have new party dresses made. They choose a tie-dyed fabric, and we learn how it is made. We also learn how the famous bronzes were cast. They are still being made in the traditional way, although the hand-pumped bellows has been replaced by an automobile battery-powered fan. Today’s chief bronze caster narrates the dance drama that explains how the bronze casters became the most important craft guild in Benin. (15 minutes)

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Part of the Series : Benin: An African Kingdom

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		Past and Present: Traders, the City, and Men from Over the Sea There is still a king or Oba of Benin today, and he still dispenses justice to his people. He lives in a very traditional world but has received a British university education. Contrasts like these are commonplace in modern Nigeria: the children shop...(more details)		DVD $99.95
		Home to the Village Most urban Nigerians retain strong ties to their home villages. Many, like the Izevbigie family, return for planting and harvesting-suitcase farming, it's called. This program compares the life of the city-dwelling Izevbigies with that of their count...(more details)		DVD $99.95
		The Present: Benin's People Osaigbovo and Adesuwa are anxious to get home from school because they are having a birthday party. We observe the preparations-getting dressed, cooking food-and join in the celebration while discovering that life in Benin City today is a mixture of ...(more details)		DVD $99.95
		The Past: Emotan and the Banished Prince The dance drama retells the legend of how Prince Ogun was banished and his brother usurped the throne. With the help of a widow, the loyal Emotan, he manages to regain his rightful throne to rule his people wisely and well. This tale of magic and rev...(more details)		DVD $99.95

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