Online Exhibitions

Born in the 15th Century in Uzeghudu, present-day Nigeria, and died 1550.

Queen Idia is revered by many as being the most powerful woman of her time.

When her husband, Oba (king) Ozolua died, he was survived by two powerful sons. Arhuaran, who was next in line for the throne, and Osawe, the son of Idia, who had control of Benin City. Idia was the Oba?s second wife, and Osawe the king?s third son, and therefore not the natural successor, yet Idia had groomed him for the position since he was a child. Civil war broke out as the two brothers fought for the throne.

Idia is credited with her son?s victory over his brother. It was believed that her wise political counsel, medicinal knowledge and, most importantly, her mystical powers of the occult, were the defining strengths behind his success. After a long period of conflict, Osawe was crowned 16th Oba of Benin Kingdom with the title ?Esigie? and reigned from 1504 until 1550.

Until the reign of Esigie, it was customary practice that when an Oba was crowned, his mother would be executed to prevent the birth of potential contenders for the throne. Instead, Esigie hid his mother until he had revoked the barbaric tradition of killing the king?s mother. He restored Idia back to public life and bestowed upon her the title of Iyoba, or Queen Mother.

As such, Iyoba Idia was given her own palace, Eguae-Iyoba (Palace of the Queen Mother) at Uselu, and allowed to rule there as queen - the hidden Oba of Benin.

Early in his reign, Esigie claimed the tterritory of the Idah as part of the Benin Kingdom. In 1515, war broke out when the Igala army attempted to regain control of the area. In an unprecedented move, Queen Idia went to war beside her son. She was feared across the land as having powerful supernatural abilities, and her presence on the battlefield would have struck fear into the hearts of the enemy. Royal bards described the war dress that Queen Idia donned for the epic Idah War of 1515-1516: she wore the full skin of a mature leopard with the head, fore and hind legs intact, to make her invincible to accident or defeat. She also wore a distinctive coral war crown, and a sheathed dagger on either hip. In her right hand she held the ?etebetebe?, the war sword. Various amulets and packets of charms and medicines were sewn onto the war dress, so that the spiritual forces would protect her and give her victory. And indeed, Esigie was victorious once more. The bards also recorded that as her army crept up on the enemy, an ibis flew up before them, squawking loudly. To quieten the bird, Queen Idia quickly drew her crossbow and shot it with a single arrow? Fact or fiction, one wonders?

What is certain, is that Queen Idia substantially changed the dynastic history of Benin, by ensuring her son became king. In addition, by eliminating the Idah threat, Benin was able to gain considerable advantage of trade routes across the kingdom to the Atlantic ocean, creating great wealth for the nation. This gave birth to a blossoming of art and creativity, and the creation of masterful sculptures made of the now-abundant metals, particularly brass and bronze. Lastly, the establishment of the role of Iyoba henceforth conferred power to Queen Mothers in the running of the kingdom. Traditionally, the administrative protocol had conferred such power upon kings? daughters, who are of royal blood. Now that power was given to the Iyobas, who are not of the royal bloodline. Queen Idia is still celebrated in present-day Nigeria. She created the Ekassa dance for royal funerals, which is still danced to this day, and the annual Orhue festival re-enacts the sacrificial food offering that Queen Idia made to assist her son, Oba Esigie.

Oba Esigie commissioned the creation of bronze busts and ivory masks in the likeness of Queen Idia. One mask sadly still lies in the British Museum, and has become very well known since being chosen as the emblem for the Second Black Festival of Arts and Culture, known as FESTAC ?77, hosted by Nigeria in 1979
R 80 000