* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Friday, June 6, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

    Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

    Shows to Watch – The Advocate

    Must-See Shows You Can’t Miss!

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    ‘Sinners,’ starring Michael B. Jordan, is now streaming on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrills of ‘Sinners’ Starring Michael B. Jordan – Now Streaming on Prime Video!

    California Mid-State Fair announces entertainment lineups for Frontier and Mission stages – KSBY News

    Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for California Mid-State Fair’s Frontier and Mission Stages!

    Spotify & OpenAI: Will Gen AI ‘Hollow Out’ Entertainment? – Technology Magazine

    Will Generative AI Transform the Future of Entertainment

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says – MarketBeat

    UBS Analyst Predicts Surge in Micron Technology Stock Price!

    Domo to Participate in the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit – Business Wire

    Domo Set to Shine at the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit!

    When fiction becomes fact: 3 pieces of modern technology inspired by Star Trek – Redshirts Always Die

    From Screen to Reality: 3 Modern Technologies Inspired by Star Trek

    The Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology – UCF, ZPP, and IRR10 – Alma Research and Education Center

    Exploring the Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology: Innovations and Insights from UCF, ZPP, and IRR10

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

    Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

    Shows to Watch – The Advocate

    Must-See Shows You Can’t Miss!

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Celebrities mentioned during Diddy’s high-profile sex trafficking trial – Fox News

    ‘Sinners,’ starring Michael B. Jordan, is now streaming on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrills of ‘Sinners’ Starring Michael B. Jordan – Now Streaming on Prime Video!

    California Mid-State Fair announces entertainment lineups for Frontier and Mission stages – KSBY News

    Exciting Entertainment Lineup Unveiled for California Mid-State Fair’s Frontier and Mission Stages!

    Spotify & OpenAI: Will Gen AI ‘Hollow Out’ Entertainment? – Technology Magazine

    Will Generative AI Transform the Future of Entertainment

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

    Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says – MarketBeat

    UBS Analyst Predicts Surge in Micron Technology Stock Price!

    Domo to Participate in the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit – Business Wire

    Domo Set to Shine at the D.A. Davidson Technology Summit!

    When fiction becomes fact: 3 pieces of modern technology inspired by Star Trek – Redshirts Always Die

    From Screen to Reality: 3 Modern Technologies Inspired by Star Trek

    The Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology – UCF, ZPP, and IRR10 – Alma Research and Education Center

    Exploring the Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology: Innovations and Insights from UCF, ZPP, and IRR10

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Why are museums still keeping stolen African artefacts? – Ciku Kimeria

May 17, 2024
in Business
Why are museums still keeping stolen African artefacts? – Ciku Kimeria
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Ciku Kimeria’s article delves into the contentious issue of museums justifying the retention of stolen African artefacts, highlighting the moral and legal dilemmas surrounding cultural restitution. From hidden Ethiopian treasures in the British Museum to legal hurdles in returning looted assets, Kimeria calls for a shift in focus towards when and how these artefacts should be repatriated. With grassroots movements and government initiatives gaining momentum, the global dialogue on cultural heritage restitution is intensifying, challenging museums to reckon with the past and engage in meaningful restitution efforts.

Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.

By Ciku Kimeria

If I want to see a wide array of African artifacts, my best bet is to apply for a Schengen or UK visa and catch a $1,000 flight from Nairobi to Europe or Britain, where the majority of Africa’s material cultural legacy is found. As much as 90% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural artifacts are outside of the continent, according to a 2018 report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron. A significant share is indeed housed in European and British museums.

Even after making a trip to London, one set of treasures I definitely will not get to see are some Ethiopian altar tablets that have been hidden in a sealed room in the British Museum for the past 150 years. The institution is under investigation by the UK’s information watchdog over allegations that it failed to disclose key details about the tablets in response to a freedom of information request in August 2023.

Looted during the 1868 Battle of Magdala, the tablets symbolically represent the ark of the covenant for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. They were part of a large number of items seized during the colonial conquest. Many artifacts from the battle have not been returned to Ethiopia, though there have been several requests from the country since 2019 and discussions are ongoing.

These tablets represent the latest controversy in the debate over European museums keeping African artifacts, most of which were seized from the continent during colonial times through questionable and often violent means. In this case, the altar tablets have never been on display and are considered so sacred that even the museum’s curators and trustees don’t have permission to see them. There’s simply no good reason why they should remain languishing in a sealed room rather than be returned to their country of origin.

On a moral ground, the restitution debate is easy. Why should communities that were dispossessed of their cultural legacy, sometimes quite violently, have to prove they are deserving of objects that they never chose to leave their shores?

Read more: Trump could spell the end of the Dream Act: Francis Wilkinson

Opponents of restitution of looted assets, of course, claim that Europe is doing a great service to the world by preserving these artifacts centrally, that these treasures wouldn’t be cared for properly if they were to be returned, that the ways by which the West came to possess such items should stay in the past. It’s hard to believe, however, that an institution that recently acknowledged the yearslong theft of more than 1,500 objects from its collections is the safest place to hold African artifacts.

Western museums are surely worried about setting a precedent that could empty their tremendous public art collections. But by keeping these assets, Europe continues to perpetuate an injustice that began centuries back when colonial powers looted the African continent of objects as well as people. For Africans and the diaspora, it means they are prevented from learning about parts of their history because this tangible heritage is no longer in the communities that valued it and understood its importance. These objects are history, they are legacy and they are community. And they risk being forgotten.

Isn’t it time we move beyond the question of whether Europe and the UK should return Africa’s belongings, and focus instead on the when and how?

This is critical, because laws in the West have made it difficult for African nations to get artifacts back. In the UK, this is primarily the 1963 British Museum Act, which offers very limited options for disposal of objects. In February, the country also altered a recent restitution law that gave more power to trustees of major national museums to return objects on moral grounds. The new change severely restricts their ability to do so by reinstating approval processes in restitution claims even for objects of low value.

France too has similar laws on inalienability of public art collections, which means they belong to the state and can’t be given back. Political will so far hasn’t been enough to overcome these legal hurdles; indeed, France has only given back a reported 28 items from its large holdings since the release of the restitution report in 2018.

Even when communities successfully advocate for the return of their looted assets, they might only be able to get them as long-term loans that must be renewed periodically. In January, for example, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the British Museum agreed to loan a number of significant Asante gold and silver cultural objects to a museum in Ghana. 

Read more: Discovery’s Adrian Gore: The practical implications of SA’s ‘unfeasible’ NHI

What gives me more hope are signs of progress from the African side. After the release of the 2018 report, the African Union created the Common African Position on restitution, which offered a guide to member countries for filing claims for lost assets. In 2021, the Republic of Benin successfully got France to return 26 artifacts to the Dahomey state.

Although restitution happens at the state level, some community efforts have fared better than governments in building momentum for it, according to Veronika Chatelain, who co-leads the $15 million Global Initiative for the Restitution of African Cultural Heritage at the Open Society Foundation. For example, RegArtLess, a grassroots arts organization in Cameroon, created a global movement using social media (#BringbackNgonnso) to demand Germany return the Queen Mother statue to the Nso — plans for its return are reportedly now underway. And Open Restitution Africa, a women-led activist organization, has created a database where communities are able to file and track claims.

Governments can learn from such examples. Swaying public opinion requires bringing the debate closer to people. Efforts to get artifacts back should therefore prioritize a few at a time and focus on telling a compelling story around them on social media and elsewhere. More public pressure within the continent and in Europe can be the spark to changing blinkered laws.

With each passing year, it will get harder for Europe to justify keeping these looted cultural possessions. In the digital age, it’s only a matter of time before various communities in Africa and elsewhere learn about what was taken from them, protest the continued injustice of it and lend their voices to an ever-growing group of those demanding restitution. 

Read also:

Woode-Smith: Dr Soni is lying about Israel-Palestine
South Africa set for first primary budget surplus in 15 years
Government critics could be jailed under new Hate Speech Law…

© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : BizNews – https://www.biznews.com/rational-perspective/2024/05/17/museums-stolen-african-artefacts-ciku-kimeria

Tags: businessKeepingMuseums
Previous Post

Argentina’s $10m severance battle: Milei’s labour law overhaul vs union resistance in senate

Next Post

Ian Cameron: ANC opens unstaffed SAPS station in newest electioneering tactic

Ecological Restoration Service Market to Reach USD 87.9 Bn by 2031, Growing at 9.4% CAGR – openPR.com

Ecological Restoration Service Market Set to Soar to $87.9 Billion by 2031 with a Robust 9.4% Growth Rate!

June 6, 2025
Boise State moves forward with plans for new science building, signaling an investment in STEM majors – The Arbiter | Boise State

Boise State Unveils Ambitious Plans for Cutting-Edge Science Building, Boosting STEM Education!

June 6, 2025
The Science Of De-Extinction Is Providing Hope For Nature’s Future – Forbes

Reviving the Past: How De-Extinction Science Offers New Hope for Our Planet’s Future

June 6, 2025
Cardi B Slams Offset For Allegedly Not Helping With Kids’ Six-Figure Lifestyle – HOT 97

Cardi B Calls Out Offset for Failing to Support Their Kids’ Luxurious Lifestyle!

June 6, 2025
Hollywood legend Tom Cruise becomes record holder for his fiery Mission Impossible stunt – Guinness World Records

Tom Cruise Sets the Bar High with Record-Breaking Fiery Stunt in Mission Impossible!

June 6, 2025
India could become third largest economy in the world this year: Borge Brende – MSN

India Poised to Become the World’s Third Largest Economy This Year!

June 6, 2025
9 things to do this weekend in Lake County plus a look ahead – Leesburg Daily Commercial

Discover 9 Exciting Weekend Adventures in Lake County and What’s Coming Up!

June 6, 2025
Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

Property Technology Magazine Unveils “PropTech Top 50 Index” and the “2025 PropTech Trends Report – The Great Rebuild.” – Business Wire

June 6, 2025
Graphics: China’s ecological, environmental quality keeps improving steadily – news.cgtn.com

Graphics: China’s ecological, environmental quality keeps improving steadily – news.cgtn.com

June 5, 2025
The Forgotten History (and Slippery Science) of Canola Oil – Eater

The Forgotten History (and Slippery Science) of Canola Oil – Eater

June 5, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (670)
  • Economy (684)
  • Entertainment (21,590)
  • General (15,267)
  • Health (9,725)
  • Lifestyle (687)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (685)
  • Politics (691)
  • Science (15,902)
  • Sports (21,187)
  • Technology (15,669)
  • World (669)

Recent News

Ecological Restoration Service Market to Reach USD 87.9 Bn by 2031, Growing at 9.4% CAGR – openPR.com

Ecological Restoration Service Market Set to Soar to $87.9 Billion by 2031 with a Robust 9.4% Growth Rate!

June 6, 2025
Boise State moves forward with plans for new science building, signaling an investment in STEM majors – The Arbiter | Boise State

Boise State Unveils Ambitious Plans for Cutting-Edge Science Building, Boosting STEM Education!

June 6, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version