Folarin Shyllon
Folarin Olawale Shyllon (23 July 1940 – 17 January 2021) was a historian recognised for his contributions to the history of black people in Britain and his work on heritage law and protection of cultural heritage.
Early life and education
[edit]Shyllon studied law at King's College London, receiving an MA in 1967.[1]
Research and publications
[edit]Shyllon founded the Faculty of Law at the University of Ibadan and was its Dean from 1983.[2]
Notable works included Black Slaves in Britain (1974), which was praised by Asa Briggs, and Black People in Britain, 1555-1833 (1977).[2][3]
Shyllon was committed to the protection of cultural heritage. He headed the committee of the National Archives of Nigeria and was a key figure in developing the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) and the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects (1995).[4] He was the author of two chapters in the Oxford Handbook on International Cultural Heritage Law (2020).[5] Shyllon was a member of the International Cultural Property Society on the board of the International Journal of Cultural Property.[2]
He actively campaigned for the recovery of looted artefacts, including the Benin Bronzes.[6]
Later life
[edit]Shyllon retired from Ibadan in 2005. He was made Fellow of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute at Harvard University. In 2007, he became Dean at the Olabisi Anabanjo University. He later worked for the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Odinkalu, Chidi Anselm (17 January 2021). "Folarin Olawale Shyllon (23 July 1940-15 January 2021)". The Cable. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "Folarin Shyllon (1940–2021)". International Journal of Cultural Property. 28 (1): 3–4. February 2021. doi:10.1017/S0940739121000217. ISSN 0940-7391.
- ^ Kirk-Greene, A. H. M. (1979). "Review of Black People in Britain 1555-1833". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 49 (2): 188–189. doi:10.2307/1158679. ISSN 0001-9720.
- ^ "A tribute to the late Professor Folarin Olawale Shyllon, who fought for over 50 years against illicit trafficking of cultural property". UNESCO. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Vrdoljak, Ana Filipa (2021-01-18). "In memoriam Folarin Olawale Shyllon (1940-2021)". UNESCO Chair on International Law and Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ Nwauche, Enyinna S. (2021). "Restitution of Looted African Artefacts and the Legacy of Folarin Olawale Shyllon: A Reflection". University of Ibadan Law Journal. 11. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4062053. ISSN 1556-5068 – via SSRN Electronic Journal.