Vote totals:
Yes:
50%
No:
50%
Neutral:
0%
DEBATE: HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
Morally it is the right thing to do
Artefacts belong to their country of origin; repatriation is the right thing to do. They have a unique connection with the place where they were produced and are an essential part of the cultural history of that area. That link should be honoured by returning the artefacts to the place where they were originally made and used.
‘It’s the right thing to do’ isn’t really a concrete answer. Says who? Why? Can the original country preserve the artefact as efficiently? Does it change ownership after a certain period?
These questions need to be addressed.
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
Artefacts are enriched by being viewed in their place of origin
You can only truly appreciate a historical artefact in its historical context i.e. the place it was found. If we take as our example the Elgin Marbles, currently housed in the British Museum in London, this is clear. The marbles originally formed part of the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens, and it is only on seeing this space that the visitor can really appreciate the intended impact of the sculptures. In the British Museum they appear as mere disconnected fragments, stripped of their meaning by the loss of their geographical and historical context.
The artefacts’ place of origin has more often than not changed dramatically; for instance, it is absurd to think that a relic of Roman Britain would be somehow illuminated by being displayed in contemporary London, where almost all traces of Roman civilisation have been erased. The Acropolis of Athens has been unusually well preserved and reconstructed as a heritage site; however, I am still not convinced that the context of modern Orthodox Greece aids visitors’ appreciation of an ancient pagan relic.
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
They are part of the area’s history
Many people from an artefact’s country of origin never get to see them because they can’t afford to travel to a foreign museum. These artefacts are part of their cultural history and national identity and it is important that local people are given the opportunity to see them.
Museums all over the world do loan out their collections. Just because they are held in another country’s museum does not mean that the place of origin would not be able to access artefacts.
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
These artefacts have been illegally procured
Often artefacts are either stolen or acquired from their rightful homes in ‘dubious circumstances’. Elgin, for instance, appropriated the Parthenon Marbles from the Ottoman authorities who had invaded Greece and were arguably not the rightful owners of the site; he took advantage of political turmoil in order to pillage these ancient statues. The Axum obelisk was seized from Ethiopia by Mussolini as a trophy of war; fortunately the injustice of this action has since been recognised and the obelisk was restored to its rightful place in 2005.
Unesco regulations only require the return of artefacts removed from their country of origin after 1970. This international body has therefore stated that the appropriation of artefacts before this date is legal and permissible. Precious objects have been taken as the spoils of war since ancient times; many of these artefacts are probably built from materials (or even using the labour) acquired through war and conquest. Anyway, objects seized in war time are usually taken for their own protection, as the country of origin is not in a suitably stable position to care for them properly; this is the case for the Elgin Marbles. Don’t the nations who have expended resources protecting and preserving these arguments deserve in return the right to display them?
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
These artefacts are the foundation of a potential tourist trade
Cultural and historical tourism is an important source of income for many countries. If their artefacts have been appropriated by foreign museums in wealthy nations then they are being deprived of the economic opportunity to build a successful tourist trade.
The countries who have supposedly lost artefacts, such as Greece, often have plenty of other ameneties which are a great draw for tourists; warm weather, good beaches, attractive scenery etc. Plus they retain the attraction of being the original locations of historical events or places of interest. The sanctuary’s of Olympia and Delphi in Greece are a good example of this; they are not filled with artefacts, but continue to attract visitors because the sites are interesting in themselves. Also, people who have seen an artefact in a foreign museum may then be drawn to visit the area it originated from.
It is the tourist trade of the nations where these artefacts are held (mostly northern European nations, like Britain and France) which would suffer if they were repatriated. Lacking the climate and natural amenities of other tourist destinations they rely on their cultural offerings in order to attract visitors.
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
The artefacts serve as reminders of past oppression
The fact that many of their most important cultural artefacts remain in the hands of the old Western powers is a reminder to many developing nations of their past oppression. For instance, the British Museum is refusing to return 700 of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria despite repeated requests by the Nigerian government. The Rosetta stone has been the subject of demands by the Egyptian government but remains in London. These artefacts become almost souvenirs of Imperialism, a petty way of retaining some kind of cultural ownership long after the political power of Britain has faded.
There is no reason to politicise this argument; museums have no ‘political’ agenda but merely wish to preserve historical objects. Their reasons for keeping these items may be financial, or in the interests of keeping the artefacts safe and accessible to the public; whatever they may be, they are not political.
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
We now have the resources to carry out such a move
Returning artefacts to their original locations would in the past have been an unfeasible project simply because of the difficulty of transporting everything. Now, however, transport is much quicker and easier and we have improved technology to make the transit less damaging to the artefact; for instance, temperature-controlled containers.
Even with modern transport links and technology, transporting every artefact in a foreign museum back to its location of origin would be an impractically mammoth task. The risk of damage to artefacts would be unavoidable, not to mention the possibility of theft or sabotage en route. Important artefacts in transit would be an ideal public target for acts of terrorism.
The home countries might not even have the space or resources to create a suitable place to house the returned artefacts. Then if we consider the financial and environmental impact of all these transfers, it is clear that to move so many valuable objects around the world is not a practical idea.
HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS SHOULD BE REPATRIATED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
We are obliged to protect the artefact
This argument might have applied in the 19th century, when many artefacts were seized in order to preserve them. But in the 21st century the vast majority of nations have the technology and resources to preserve their own artefacts just as well as the institutions which now house them. Having preserved them long enough for other nations to ‘catch up’ these countries must now give the artefacts back to their original owners.
Wealthier countries sometimes simply have better resources to protect, preserve and restore historical artefacts than their country of origin. Our moral obligation is to preserve the artefact for future generations, and if this is best achieved by it remaining in a foreign country then that must be the course of action.