Multiple countries demand "must be returned", leading to criticism of the loss of British Museum collections
The loss of collections from the former British Museum has sparked multiple criticisms
The British Museum recently announced that it will appoint Mark Jones as the interim director of the British Museum to replace Hartwicky Fischer, who previously resigned. In mid August, some collections of the British Museum were exposed as missing, stolen, or damaged, and the British police are still investigating this matter.
George Osborne, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the British Museum, recently confirmed that approximately 2000 collections of the museum have gone missing, with only some being recovered. The lost collections include gold jewelry and glassware from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD. British media also reported that some lost collections were even sold on websites at prices far below the actual estimated value. The BBC reported that an email record between an art dealer and the British Museum showed that the museum had been informed two years ago of possible loss of collections.
The British Museum was established in 1753 and is one of the most visited museums in the world, with a collection of 8 million items. The loss of collectibles incident has sparked widespread criticism in both domestic and international public opinion in the UK. Martin Hennig, an expert in Roman art, said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph in the UK, "This is the worst case I have ever encountered. It involves not only the sale of artifacts, but also destruction. This is completely unforgivable."
Due to concerns about the safety of the marble statues in the Parthenon Temple, the Greek government has recently called on the British Museum to return these Greek artifacts. Greek Minister of Culture and Sports, Lena Menzoni, stated in a media interview that the safety issues exposed by the disappearance of cultural relics once again demonstrate that Greece's demand for the return of stolen marble statues from the British Museum is a fair demand. The President of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, Dispina Kutesomba, stated that the British Museum's previous claim that "Greek cultural heritage is more protected in the British Museum" is clearly difficult to establish, and they must return the marble statue of the Parthenon.
Many African countries are also demanding that the British Museum return its cultural relics. Aba Tijani, Director of the National Museum and Monuments Commission of Nigeria, expressed shock at the disappearance of cultural relics. He said that the Benin bronze ware stolen by Britain should be returned to Nigeria. "These are illegally looted cultural relics that should be returned," he emphasized. The country will send letters to the British Museum and the UK government within weeks, demanding immediate return of the relics.
Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass has been calling for the British Museum to return the Rosetta monument for many years. He recently stated, "Now is the 21st century, and we need to make museums stop buying illegal cultural relics that have been looted, stolen, or obtained in any other way." He criticized what happened at the British Museum as a "crime against the world.".
Ghanaian art historian Nana Ayim refuted the claim that artifacts are safer in Europe in a media interview, stating that this claim is "very racist and condescending.".
