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BWJ presents

custodians of the red gold

How The Benin Empire Oiled The Global Industrial Revolution

Custodians of the Red Gold is a 12-part hybrid-documentary series that blends vivid AI-aided re-enactments, historical analysis, and poetic narration to reveal the untold story of the Benin Empire—a sacred African kingdom whose prized palm oil, known as "red gold," powered the engines of Europe's industrial revolution. From divine kings and warrior queens to colonial agents and corporate monopolies, each episode traces the global consequences of a cultural war fought through trade, diplomacy, and betrayal. As sacred rituals collide with treaties signed in European drawing rooms, the series uncovers a haunting legacy: the looting of the Benin Bronzes, the rewriting of African histories, and a quiet resistance still echoing through time.

logline

"Custodians of the Red Gold"
Amid divine prophecy, ancestral pride, and industrial ambition, the powerful Benin Empire confronts European greed in a sweeping hybrid-documentary that uncovers the spiritual, political, and economic forces behind one of history’s most calculated cultural heists.

Woman in a red polka dot blouse with large orange earrings, set against a yellow background with books and a lamp in the foreground. Joadre

This is a documentary about how the Benin Empire Oiled the Global Industrial Revolution

In the twilight of the 19th century, as Britain’s factories roared and locomotives surged forward, it wasn’t just coal that kept the gears turning—it was palm oil. This “red gold,” essential for lubricating machines, preserving metals, and even fueling cannons, became the lifeblood of an empire hungry for expansion.

At the heart of this trade stood the Benin Empire, a highly organized West African kingdom that controlled vast reserves of palm oil. With intricate diplomacy and ironclad systems of governance, Benin safeguarded both its sovereignty and its resources. Its guilds monopolized the oil trade, while its artisans cast timeless bronzes to immortalize the kingdom’s stories.

But when Britain’s Royal Niger Company—an aggressive corporate arm of empire—sought unlimited access to Benin’s resources, diplomacy crumbled. Benin’s refusal to bow sparked one of history’s most calculated acts of imperial violence.

The 1897 invasion of Benin City wasn’t merely a military assault; it was a resource-driven heist. Cloaked in the language of "civilization" and "retaliation," British forces looted thousands of sacred bronzes and razed a sovereign capital. What followed was not just cultural theft, but the corporate annexation of Benin’s oil-rich forests.

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Vertical stripes of various colors including dark gray, brown, orange, peach, and light gray. Film palette Custodians of the red oil.

film tone

  • Warm, earthy and vintage tones.

  • Story redline narrated by Joadre.

crew

Joadre BWJ creative collective member. Joadre

Screenplay, Director, set design, producer - Joana Adesuwa Reiterer

Joadre BWJ creative collective member

Cinematography, co-Director, light - OKIKIOLA AKINWALE MICHAEL

Joadre BWJ creative collective member

line producer, production manager - VALENTINE EBEJIORE OGBADU

Joadre BWJ creative collective member

facility manager, caterring - lami lawal

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