This publication is the first comprehensive study in Africa on the vexed issue of art-stripping and the restitution question in relation to Benin by nine scholars drawn from across the globe: Folarin Shyllon, Sylvester Ogbechie, Mabel Evwierhoma, Freida High, Benson Eluma, Akinwale Onipede, Kwame Opoku, Victor Edo, and Sola Olorunyomi. "Benin1897.com" refers to the British 'Punitive' Expedition and also presents Peju Layiwola's impression of this cultural rape of Benin. It seeks to re-contextualize the event of the invasion, during which the nascent British imperialists sacked an ancient government and its monarch, Ovonramwem (ruled c. 1888-1897), and looted its largely bronze and ivory art works over a schism that seems more orchestrated than real. Till date, families from the old kingdom still speak of their losses, in human and material terms, yet our world speaks tongue-in-cheek. Over the years, Layiwola has been experimenting with forms and media ranging from terracotta, copper, bronze, and gold, among others. The current exhibition could as well be described as her most ambitious; at once affective and deeply contemplative, it arrives with 154 color illustrations and a continuing dialogue on 1897.