Regards, Ivan
Posted on 04/12/2006 11:16:15 PM PDT by MadIvan
Antiquities "looted" during the colonial era are better off in western collections than being returned to Africa, according to a Kenyan curator overseeing an exhibition of artefacts loaned to Nairobi by the British Museum.
Governments in Africa and other former colonies have long demanded that Europe hands back boatloads of relics plundered by explorers, anthropologists, missionaries and others before and during colonisation.
But facilities to care for precious objects that may otherwise be left to rot are far better among the world's great museum houses than those in Africa, Kiprop Lagat said yesterday.
Mr Lagat, 35, is running a six-month exhibition of 140 items loaned from among the British Museum's store of 12,000 east African relics, most of which are in storage.
The curators have chosen artefacts from eight countries and dating from 1672 to 2002.
It is the first time that east African objects held in any major European collection have been displayed in Africa.
Their arrival has again stirred the debate over restitution of antiquities making up key aspects of Africa's cultural heritage that are never viewed by Africans.
"Western museums have better facilities and the items are better taken care of there, whereas here in Africa the concept of museums and curating is a relatively new one," said Mr Lagat.
"There you have special buildings with controlled environments, humidity monitors, secure storage, ultraviolet filters on windows, so many things. Here we are putting those things in place, but we are not there yet."
The exhibition, Hazina: Traditions, Trade and Transitions in Eastern Africa, is housed in the former home of the colonial provincial commissioner, one of Nairobi's oldest buildings, which has been renovated as a gallery.
There are new deadlocks on the doors and a sophisticated alarm system but Nairobi's smog drifts through open windows from the clogged roundabout outside.
In buildings housing some of Kenya's own collections of national treasures, power cuts are common, storage and cataloguing are sometimes chaotic and low visitor numbers keep investment down.
The British Museum is working with National Museums of Kenya to change that and the exhibition is hopefully the first of many joint ventures.
"The British Museum is committed to developing these kinds of collaborations across the world to generate a deeper understanding of a global citizenship," said Neil MacGregor, the museum's director.
The British Government and the British Council are backing the museum's plans with £1 million in handouts, which will enable further exhibitions, including displays in Ethiopia and Mali.
It is unclear yet whether their efforts will soften the views of those who want all artefacts returned to Africa.
"When you see all this in here, it looks fantastic, but it leaves a sour taste in the mouth," said Gikonyo Muchiri, 28, a graphic designer from Nairobi, who was touring the exhibition yesterday.
"How can you loan something back to the person you stole it from, then expect him to give it back again?"
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I demand you return the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the Peacock Throne and te rest to India...or else! ;^)
Mr. Lagat is obviously a racist.
Can you imagine what would happen to any "rightfully returned" artifacts in the righteous paradise of Zimbabwe?
Theft and resale on the black market would likely be the best fate for anything valuable there.
The idea of "everything being returned" is insane. Can you imagine the chaos that would occur if every nation decided to carry out this concept?
To the victor belong the spoils.
GGG PING? (digest?)
'Stolen' treasures better off in the West, says African curator
What isn't?
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Art ping?
Art ping!
Let Republicanprofessor, me or woofie know if you want on or off the art ping list.
This post brings up the interesting question of private vs public property, IMO. I'm not so sure that anyone can say that certain art objects "belong" to or were stolen from a given country, especially as some of these countries may not have existed consistently.
You'd think people would look at the condition of South Africa and figure this out for themselves.
I'm not so sure this is cultural or even economic thing, so much as it is natural human inclination to fail to appreciate the familiar, and an endemic quality of the artistic temperment. In microcosm, I know that I've treated a number of my own sketches, paintings, etc. with a cavalier and generally careless attitude, as to me they're nothing particularly special or that can't be done again (better), yet others have found them in a sketchbook, cabinet, frame etc. and admonished me, 'you really ought to take better care of these,' or 'I can't believe you treat your own work like this....'
Thanks, iceskater.
AAAARGHHH! What are YOU doing HERE!
Ha ha ha ha! :^D
Unfortunately, it's very hard to define "stealing" when dealing with societies instead of individuals. If native looters plunder and destroy what should be regarded as natural treasures, and the British move in, thwart the thieves, and seize the treasure, did they steal it?
If, apon finding it in such dangerous conditions, and they legally pay to acquire it, so that they can protect and preserve it, are they stealing? If, by paying for it, they help sustain the underground market which motivated the plunderers in the first place, are they stealing?
If, after having acquired a treasure, they go far beyond what the local society could ever do to protect and preserve it, and then *loan* it back to the local society, are they stealing?
If they sell it back at a nominal value which only reflects the investment they've made in keeping it safe, are they stealing?
If they give it back to an unstable or corrupt government, which uses the treasure to legitimize itself, but cannot effectively ensure their own continuance, let alone the safety of the treasure, during the civil unrest which is a natural consequence of their corruption, are they stealing?
If they use such treasures to steer a government towards integrity and democracy, thus "imposing Western values," are they stealing?
You can imagine what its like for Catholics, who believe that God has condescended to exist among them in the form of the Eucharist!
I suppose that's small potatoes after *condescending* to have His Son whipped, beaten and crucified for us.
Yes, could very well be. I sometimes think the same of certain redneck types, who throw trash everywhere, generally doing their best to destroy the natural beauty of their homeplaces. OTOH, there are many who truly do appreciate the beauty.
You ought to take care of your stuff, Joe!
While I make no claim to their greatness, I can readily identify with any number of renown artists who's art was for art's sake, and to whom process and technique were everything. I can generally be goaded into matting and framing some things, and have a rudimentary background in archival preservation and restoration, so I'm not lost on the concept...I suppose there's some type of psychological pathology behind it, but unless I'm doing something as a commission or with a clearly articulated end state (i.e. Christmas gift) I view most of my efforts as experimental and prototypical experiments with media, technique, style, etc. I'm a pack rat, but do tend to view the overwhelming majority of my stuff as reference for later reference...most of which is never actually used.
I suppose that part of my twisted attitude reinforces that this is the luxury of a hobby and not the necessity of livelihood.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.