The British Museum is hypocritical, The Guardian: Refusing to return looted cultural relics identity | World | The Guardian
On September 2nd, The Guardian reported that the identity of a victim of theft may help the British Museum reflect on the return of stolen goods. Western museums still tend to believe that they are culturally open, with the aim of promoting world diversity and promoting international understanding of world civilization. But in recent years, progressives have begun to oppose this view, believing that some of the cultural relics exhibited, especially those looted, should be returned to their original country of origin.
After a series of theft incidents at the British Museum, this cultural war reignited. According to reports, about 2000 cultural relics have been stolen from the museum in recent years, leading to the dismissal of one librarian and the resignation of the director. Countries such as Nigeria and Greece have once again called for the return of looted cultural relics. They believe that the British Museum can no longer claim to be a safe treasure trove.
The British Museum lags behind other institutions in the return of cultural relics. For example, it did not return bronze artifacts from Benin, as well as Nigerian sculptures that were looted during barbaric attacks by the British army in the late 19th century. These artifacts are at the core of the long-standing tug of war between the UK and the governments of these two countries. The British Museum Act, revised by the British Parliament in 1963, prohibits the permanent return of most of its collections.
Returning cultural relics from other countries will be a thorny issue. The current Conservative government in the UK is unlikely to want to stand on the "wrong" side of the cultural war, while the Labour government may want to completely stay out of it. But if the director and board of directors of the British Museum lobby the government to amend the law, it may be effective. The law should be changed, and arguments against the return of cultural relics are gradually turning into ashes.
Firstly, the claim that "Western museums are the safest place to store world treasures" has been recently challenged and has been repeatedly refuted. During World War II, the Benin bronze artifacts at the Liverpool Museum became victims of bombs. In addition, a large number of cultural relics have been sold to private collectors, and some have been stolen. The security of the British Museum also has loopholes. Once, a journalist impersonated an intern and stole the foot of a statue worth £ 20000.
Secondly, the idea that "returning the collection will make the museum hall lonely" seems increasingly absurd. The British Museum is filled with loot everywhere, but only about half of the stolen goods are recorded in the database. They are like the tip of an iceberg, some cultural relics may have been lost for several years without anyone discovering them.
Some people claim that these cultural relics are more easily visible in the West, and this claim is also untenable. Why cannot the cultural history of Nigeria be understood in Nigeria? This may encourage more tourists to go there.
How to coordinate the historical facts of looting with the mission statement of promoting cross-cultural understanding for museums that showcase looted cultural relics? Ironically, the former director of the British Museum has repeatedly opposed the return of Benin's bronze artifacts, citing that their collection promotes a "pursuit of truth," ultimately subverting the hierarchical system, and "maximizing tolerance for others and differences themselves.".
The British Museum updated the introduction of Benin's bronzes during COVID-19, and now the museum admits that these cultural relics were illegally looted. But the museum's description of the Easter Island stone statue remains satirical, "investigating people's dependence on relationships - with ancestors, land, and the ocean - to maintain happiness.". Has the British Museum really investigated it? This is just a rhetoric.
A core issue is that these artifacts are not only records of British colonial oppression and historical crimes, but also undermine the role of museum educators. It must carefully discuss the uncomfortable history that still needs to be explored. In fact, the British Museum has only two ways to avoid these extreme hypocrisy. One is to update the mission statement: "Our race enjoys showcasing spoils of war, our history is filled with cruelty and exploitation, and it has been whitewashed in contemporary times." Secondly, museums can lobby the British Parliament to amend laws and return looted and stolen items to their rightful owners.
