A Challenge--not even six degrees of separation

Okay, as this blog begins to open up and I pass its link around, let's have a little fun. It's related to the upcoming Penn Museum show on Benin, IYARE! Splendor and Tension in Benin's Palace Theatre (Nov. 8, 2008-March 1, 2009), but this is the informal side of the exhibition. We'll be having a website that will address the Big Idea--that Nigeria's Benin Kingdom, past and present, has a court that reenacts the dramatic, and also stimulates dramatic activities. More on that later.

But this blog is meant to roll around lots of ideas and bits and pieces that are Benin-related, but may not fall within an exhibition's purview. I love Benin, I love Nigeria. I want to share some of the small historical tales that are lesser known, think about incidents I've witnessed, share memories with people, and argue about behavior we may or may not find agreeable.

SO...to get the ball rolling...do all roads lead to Benin? Can you help stimulate where my tip-tapping fingers will turn by throwing out a word, question, or concept, just to see if I can somehow relate it to Benin? Try!!!