Irish envoy, Cartographer Roger Casement remembered in Nigeria
An early Irish envoy, Casement is remembered for efforts to provide geographical maps for Calabar and parts of the Niger Delta.
August 3, marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Roger Casement an Irishman who spent time in what was at the time Old Calabar in the Oil Rivers Protectorate, now Cross Rivers State from 1891-1895.
In commemoration of his life and humanitarian legacy, the Embassy of Ireland, Abuja organized a pop-up exhibition, which ended on Friday, at the Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Wuse II, Abuja.
The exhibition themed, ‘A century of lessons’ according to the Embassy, “draws on the interactions between international companies and indigenous peoples and recalls Casement’s time in the area, as well as his later more high profile humanitarianism.
“It resonates with issues arising from the activity of international oil companies in the Delta as well as with Irish policy on responsible investment and the National Plan on Business and Human Rights currently being developed,” the embassy said.
The pop-up exhibition was taken from ‘Casement in Kerry: A revolutionary journey,’ an exhibition created by the Kerry County Museum, Ireland, to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.
The original exhibition was opened in Tralee, Ireland on April 21, 2016 and makes an important contribution to the national commemoration.
The exhibition catalogued Casement’s various experiences in Africa, the Americas and Europe.
The exhibition went on to explore how the failure of his gun running mission affected ‘The Rising’ and what survived of his reports and maps show his interest in local superstitions, economic exchanges and a keen ear for the various languages.
Tracing his trail for high treason in the Royal Courts of Justice in London, the exhibition examined the case for and against, as well as the campaign waged against him from the shadows.
A century after his execution, Roger Casement remains a compelling figure whose legacy continues to intrigue.
In June, the Embassy had made a presentation of three 122-yearold route maps of Calabar and other Niger Delta terrains to the Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, (NCMMs), Alhaji Yusuf Usman at the Commission’s head office in Abuja.
At the presentation ceremony, Irish envoy, Sean Hoy said: “This year marks the centenary of the death of Roger Casement and presents us with an opportunity to celebrate his work as a humanitarian in Africa. Casement began his diplomatic career in Nigeria when he served as a young officer in Calabar.”
The envoy also said the documents were the earliest attempts to map the Calabar region.
The late Casement served as Consul General in Nigeria and his 122-year-old maps were lithographed at the Intelligence Division War Office (IDWO) in 1894.