Welcome!
Before Nollywood . . . The Ideal Photo Studio is a living exhibition and an ongoing research and photography project that explores the lives of patrons from the Ideal Photo Studio and a history of Benin City and its community through the photographs of Solomon Osagie Alonge. We are seeking your help in naming people in the Ideal Photo Studio portraits, and inviting you to share personal stories and memories of your childhood, friends, family, social life, and community in Benin City, Nigeria, at the Tapestry of Benin Memories wall. To provide information about people in Alonge’s photographs, submit information to the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives via the QR code, in-gallery cards, or elisofonarchives@si.edu (place Ideal Photo Studio in subject line). Once the information has been verified, exhibition labels will be updated.
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With the introduction of multiple languages in the museum’s exhibitions, Before Nollywood showcases the Edo language. Edo, also called Bini (Benin), is spoken by more than one million people in Nigeria today—including in Edo State, an area inhabited by the Benin kingdom and a succession of obas since at least the 14th century. It is taught in primary and secondary schools, commonly spoken on television and in radio programs, and used in a large number of Nollywood films. Its popularity extends to indigenous communities throughout Nigeria, Africa, and the global diaspora. The museum’s exhibition website is also in Edo.
Before Nollywood is a continuation of the partnership developed with the citizens of Benin City, the National Museum of Benin, Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art during the run of Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria (2014–16). The exhibition showcased the museum’s holdings of Benin royal arts and Alonge’s historic photographs (1930s–70s) of the oba (king) and the royal court. In September 2017, portions of this exhibition opened as a permanent installation at the National Museum of Benin, a gift from the Smithsonian Institution to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria.
All images were photographed by Solomon Osagie Alonge in Benin City, Nigeria, unless noted otherwise and are silver gelatin modern prints from the original glass plate negatives in the Chief S.O. Alonge Collection, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives.
Ọbokhian!
Enollywood ke re . . . Owa Isey’ama n’kere keghi re ọrhiemaan’iwu kevbẹ iruẹmwi n’ifo kevbe inwina isey’ama ne agha ya ghe agbon emwa n’ye owa isey’ama n’kere kevbẹ itan or’Ẹdo kevbẹ ikinkin agbon or’Ẹdo ne adeghe vbẹ u we isey’ama ne SolomonOsagie Alọngẹ ru. Tẹ I ma gualo iyobo vbe obọwua vbẹ ne a gha ya rẹẹn eni emwa n’re ama egbe Owa Isey’ama n’kere, kevbẹ we re n’ima gie ne a tie rue ne u t’okha ọghe egbe rue kevbẹ ayere vbẹ u re ovbokhan, ose, ẹgbẹ, agbon n’ẹdẹ, kevbẹ ikinkin agbon or’Ẹdo, Enaigirria vbẹ egbe ekẹn n’avbe ayere ivbiẹ Edo. U gha khian guan kaan emwa nii re isey’ama ne Alọngẹ ru, gbẹn rrie ne Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, u ghi loo QR code ra uwuya elisofonarchives@si.edu (u ghi gbẹn Owa Isey’ama n’kere yọ uhunmwu). Ọmwa ne ọ nwina mwa gha ghẹẹre ighẹ ọ gbare, a ghi do dia avbe emwi ne agbẹn lele ọrhiemaa na.
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Ke omuhẹn evbo ughughan na ze n’ya rue orhiemaa vbẹ owa aza gha dee, Enollywood ke re do mu Ẹdo na ze ladian. Evbo ne ọ ze Ẹdo keghi gberraa uye emwa vbẹ otọ Enaigirria – ọna ya debaa otọ ariọba Ẹdo ne ivbi-Ẹdo yiin kevbẹ avbẹ Ọba ne ọhe vbẹ ẹghẹ Ọba Oguola gha dee (14th century). A rue Ẹdo vbẹ avbe owebe ne ọ ke otọ, Ẹdo re ya tie iyen ọ ghee de vbẹ ekpeti ughe kevbẹ ekpeti ọta, iran vbe loo re vbẹ iku ọta ọghe Enollywood. Ogheghe Ẹdo lae edọmwadẹ ẹvbo vbẹ otọ Enaigirria, otọ Africa kevbẹ uhunmwun otọ agbon hia. Uwuya ọghe ọrhiemaa vbẹ owa azan a, Ẹdo re ya gbẹn onren.
Enollywood ke re ke ghi re inwina okulugbe ne a ru khian ne a debaa ivbie Edo, Aza emwi Are vbẹ or’ẹdo, ugha n’ọgb’aroghe Aza emwi Are vbẹ otọ Ẹnaigirria n’atie re NCMM kevbẹ ọghe ebo ne a rẹẹn ye Smithsonian National Museum of African Art vbe u we emwe Okhaemwe S. O. Alọngẹ: Ọsey’ama ọ ghe Ẹgauẹ Ọba vbe or’Ẹdo, Ẹnaigirria (ukpo 2014–16). Ọrhiemaana gha ma emwa emwi are ọgh’ẹdo, kevbẹ isey’ama (vbe ukpo 1930s–70s) ọghe Ọba vbẹ ẹgauẹ Ọba ne Alọngẹ ru n’ọ rre owa Aza na. Vbẹ uki-eho, ukpo 2017, abọ e so vbẹ ọrhiemaana kie vbẹ Owa Aza n’ọ re or’Ẹdo ze vbẹ emwamwa ne ọredia, ọ na keghi vbẹ ọre ne ugha Smithsonian Institution rhie gie ugha n’ọgb’aroghe Aza emwi Are vbẹ otọ Ẹnaigirria.
Solomon Osagie Alọngẹ rẹ ọ ru isey’ama hia n’rre emwa vbẹ or’Ẹdo, Enaigirria, adeghe a ma gbẹn we re inren kevbẹ we a gha rue vbẹ aro emuen ladian vbe emadogua ọghe ughe egbe vbẹ usun inwina Ọkhaemwẹn S. O. Alọngẹ vbẹ Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives.
