Culture

Libyan authorities recover revered colonial wolf statue sold as scrap

Published

10 months ago

August 2, 2023

Libyan Antiquities and Tourism authorities have recovered a large bronze colonial wolf statue that was stolen a decade ago from its position atop a pillar in central Benghazi.

Khaled al-Aqouri, Head of the Antiquities and Tourism department who announced the discovery of the revered statue, said it was found on a farm whose owner said he bought the sculpture as scrap.

“Authorities were alerted to the colonial-era statue after a tip off and discovered it in a farm near Benghazi belonging to Saied Mohammed Bourabida, who told them he had bought it from a metal yard because he liked the way it looked,” al-Aqouri said.

Bourabida reportedly told the police that he bought and kept the statue, a replica of the famous Capitoline Wolf sculpture that depicts a legendary scene of ancient Rome, in plain view under a spreading tree next to the terrace of his house, as he did not know it was stolen property.

“I remembered this statue in its position near the port from when I was young … I had a smelting workshop and when I saw it by chance at the scrap dealer’s, I liked its shape and the quality of work, so I bought it,” he said.

His position was corroborated by al-Aqouri who said he was confident that Bourabida had not known that the sculpture was still public property.

The Wolf statue was erected in the new Benghazi city centre by Italian colonial authorities in the 1930s when it ruled the North African country as part of its push to promote a connection between ancient Roman settlement of Libya and their modern colonial rule over the country.

In the colonial era, Libya was an important Roman province and was home to the great port cities of Sabratha and Leptis Magna whose imposing stone temples and theatres still stand on the Mediterranean shore.

However, after gaining independence, Libyan authorities removed the wolf from its pillar and it disappeared following Muammar Gaddafi’s seizure of power in 1969, a revolutionary period when relics of foreign colonial rule were banished from sight.

At some point, the statue lost its front legs as well as the figures of two human infants suckling underneath, representing Romulus and Remus the mythical founders of Rome who were said to have been raised by a wolf.

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Culture

One-year-old Ghanaian breaks GWR as world’s youngest artist

Published

12 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

A one-year-old Ghanaian, Ace Liam, has broken a Guinness World Record as the youngest male artist.

The infant’s groundbreaking achievement was which was announced by the GWR board at a press conference, revealed that his “journey to the record books began with an ambitious attempt to mimic his mother’s daily activities in her art studio.”

A statement from the GWR said the feat of the child has further showcased the potential young children possess when given the opportunity to explore their abilities.

Guinness World Records recognized Ace Liam following his exhibition in Accra from January 18 to 20, 2024, breaking the 31-year-old record held by Dante Lamb, who achieved the milestone at age three in 2003.

His mother, Chantelle Eghan, also shared her experience with her son, stating:

“He paints when he sees me painting. If I have my setup, he’ll pull his chair and easily come and sit beside me.”

She also described how, even as a six-month-old, Ace began blending and spreading paint on a canvas, and by 11 months, he was intuitively using a paintbrush.

Ghanaian artist, Amarkine Amateifio, while reacting to Ace’s achievement, called on parents across Ghana and Africa to nurture their children’s talents from a young age, highlighting the impact this can have on their future success.

“All children are like that. They come into the world as artists, scientists, and engineers. It is we, the adults, who stop them from maintaining this,” Amateifio said.

“I’ll give all the credit to the home environment and particularly to his mother, Kukua, who created the enabling environment for the gifts this child has brought into this world to flourish.

“At a very early age, all children show their natural inclinations. Children come here to contribute and make the world a better place.

“This Guinness World Record for Liam should act as an inspiration for parents to pay more attention to their children, provide all the resources, and give the child all the necessary tools so that their gift will flourish,” the renowned artist added.

Culture

How South Sudanese singer John Frog moved from child soldier to Afrobeats star

Published

1 day ago

May 19, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

John Frog may be one of South Sudan’s most successful musicians at the moment, but a little over 10 years ago, he was a child soldier conscripted to fight in the country’s civil war at the age of eight.

John Frog was born during the civil war and his parents were soldiers in the SPLA – the Sudan People’s Liberation Army but fortune later smiled on him as he realised his true calling of making music.

Today, the youngster has forged an international reputation and has collaborated with artists from other African countries, including Uganda’s Eddie Kenzo, Bahati from Kenya, and recently, Iyanya from Nigeria whom he featured in his latest song, “My Bed”, with the collaborations placing him as one of the most sought after Afrobeats artistes in Africa.

According to a feature story by the BBC Africa, “Frog is his real name. He was called Aguek, which means frog in Dinka, a language native to South Sudan, because he was a breech baby, coming into the world feet-first.”

“Given that his mother gave birth to him in a remote village with no hospital or doctor in sight, he was lucky to survive, as was his mother.”

Speaking on his experience in the army, John Frog said:

“They didn’t give us a gun yet, until I was 14 – that’s when I was given a gun.

“Every day, every week, there is a fight, so we have to run in the forest, in the water, so it was quite tough for me.”

He confessed that he didn’t go to school and only picked up English from the street.

Frog said he always loved music and even in the forest he would listen to traditional music.

He recalled that it was when he got the opportunity to go to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, where he met other young Africans that he started making music himself.

“We didn’t have enough producers in Juba. The producers who are here are from Kenya and Uganda, so it was a bit hard to know the kind of genre for South Sudanese music, so I decided to do Afrobeats.”

Frog noted that South Sudanese musicians who make the most money are the traditional praise singers.

“They praise people, they praise leaders, praise people who have money, so it’s the quickest way to make money here.

“But my aim is to reach the wider audience. Either this year or next year, I have to be among our brothers who are on top,” he vowed.