Exploring the Intellectual Property, Traditional Cultural Expression, and Gender Dimensions of the Benin Bronze Casting Art: An Agenda for Research

Abstract

Benin bronze art are widely recognised cultural symbols of the Benin traditional empire in modern-day Edo state, Nigeria. By custom, the art is restricted to only male members of the bronze casting families; and the art remains much localised to Benin City, the capital of Edo state. There is a lot of literature on the bronze casting art but there remains a gap from the intellectual property (IP), traditional cultural expression (TCE), and gender dimensions. Undertaken as a desk-based research, this paper identifies the key issues and proposes a research agenda in that regard, with the aim of encouraging economic exploitation and proper harnessing of the IP and TCE rights of the bronze casting community, while also addressing the question of gender-inclusive participation in the art.