The British Museum is full of stolen artifacts
Summary
TLDRThe British Museum, home to over 8 million artifacts, faces controversy over disputed ownership of cultural pieces, including the Benin Bronzes. The script explores the museum's colonial past, the Benin Punitive Expedition, and the ongoing debate about repatriation. It highlights the struggle of countries seeking to reclaim their cultural heritage, with the museum's stance on restitution and the importance of cultural identity.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ The British Museum is the world's largest world history museum, holding over 8 million artifacts spanning 2 million years of human history.
- 🌏 The museum's collection includes disputed ownership items, with nearly half of the 12 'Don't Miss' pieces having such issues.
- 🏹 The Easter Island sculpture and the bronze sculpture of Shiva are among the star pieces of the museum.
- 🛡️ There has been a growing debate on whether cultural artifacts should be returned to their home countries or remain in western museums.
- 📚 The British Empire's expansion in the late 1600s resulted in the acquisition of many cultural artifacts, some of which are now in the British Museum.
- 🏺 Some items in the museum were legally acquired, like a 2,000-year-old Roman vase, while others like the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon Sculptures are disputed.
- 🏺 The Benin Bronzes are a significant and contentious part of the museum's collection, representing a wide range of items from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria.
- 🛑 The Benin Disaster in 1897 led to the British taking thousands of cultural pieces from Benin as a form of punishment and economic gain.
- 📜 The Benin Bronzes served as visual archives of the kingdom, narrating its history, political, and social life in a society without a developed written script.
- 🌐 The Benin royal family has requested the return of the cultural property taken illegally, but the British Museum is restricted by a government act and has declined these requests.
- 🔄 The British Museum's stance is to lend artifacts widely, including to Nigeria, rather than repatriating them, emphasizing its role as a 'library of the world'.
- 🔍 The issue of contested artifacts in the British Museum is part of a larger legacy of colonial power and the ongoing debate over cultural and historical identity.
Q & A
What is the British Museum known for?
-The British Museum is known as the world's largest world history museum, holding more than 8 million cultural and historical artifacts that cover 2 million years of human history and drawing millions of visitors every year.
What is the issue with some of the artifacts in the British Museum?
-Nearly half of the 'Don't Miss' items in the museum have disputed ownership. While the museum claims these pieces belong there for the world to see, many are fighting to have them returned to their countries of origin.
How did the British Empire's expansion affect the collection of the British Museum?
-During its rule, the British Empire took precious resources and wealth, including thousands of cultural and historical artifacts, from countries around the world. Many of these artifacts ended up in the British Museum, contributing to its growth.
What is the significance of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum?
-The Rosetta Stone is a significant artifact in the museum that was taken by British troops from the French in what is now Egypt, and it represents one of the disputed items in the collection.
Who are the Benin Bronzes and why are they contentious?
-The Benin Bronzes are a vast range of items produced in the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria, dating back to the 1500s. They are contentious because they were taken by British troops during the 'Benin Punitive Expedition' and are considered stolen property by many.
What role did the Benin Bronzes play in the Kingdom of Benin?
-The Benin Bronzes were visual archives of the kingdom, narrating its history, political and social life, and were used for religious rituals. They were not just decorative but held significant cultural and historical value.
What was the 'Benin Punitive Expedition' and why was it launched?
-The 'Benin Punitive Expedition' was a mission launched by 1,200 British troops in response to the killing of seven British emissaries by Benin guards. It was also an economic enterprise aimed at retrieving the vast treasures in the Benin palace to offset the cost of the invasion.
What is the stance of the British Museum on returning disputed artifacts?
-The British Museum is restricted by a government act that prevents it from returning objects. It has stated that it does not restitute but is committed to lending artifacts as widely as possible, including to Nigeria.
How have some individuals attempted to address the issue of disputed artifacts?
-In 2014, the grandson of a British soldier from the 1897 Benin Expedition returned two items he inherited to the Benin royal family, showing personal efforts to address the issue of disputed artifacts.
What is the Benin Dialogue Group and what is its purpose?
-The Benin Dialogue Group, formed in 2007, consists of Western museums and the Nigerian government. It has been discussing solutions for the return of the Benin Bronzes and other contested objects, although none have been returned as of the script's date.
Why is the issue of returning cultural artifacts important?
-The issue of returning cultural artifacts is important because it concerns cultural and historical identity and who gets to own it. It is about recognizing and rectifying the legacy of colonial power and respecting the rights of the original owners.
Outlines
🏛️ The British Museum's Cultural Dilemma
The British Museum, the world's largest museum of world history, attracts millions of visitors annually and houses over 8 million artifacts spanning 2 million years of human history. However, it faces a contentious issue regarding the ownership of nearly half of its 'Don't Miss' pieces. While the museum maintains these artifacts are rightfully theirs, a growing debate questions whether cultural artifacts should be repatriated to their countries of origin. The script delves into the historical context of the British Empire's expansion, which led to the acquisition of numerous disputed artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Sculptures. It also introduces the Benin Bronzes, a collection of significant items from present-day Nigeria, which were taken during the punitive expedition of 1897 and have become a focal point of the repatriation debate.
🏺 The Struggle for the Benin Bronzes
This paragraph continues the narrative of the Benin Bronzes, a collection of artifacts from the Kingdom of Benin, now part of Nigeria. The artifacts, which served as visual archives of the kingdom's history and culture, were looted by British troops during the 'Benin Punitive Expedition' in 1897. The paragraph describes the emotional impact of this loss on Nigerians, many of whom will never see these artifacts due to the challenges of travel and access. It recounts the efforts of the Benin royal family to have these cultural treasures returned, which have largely been ignored by the British Museum due to legal restrictions and the museum's stance on maintaining its collection. The script also highlights the broader implications of this issue, touching on the legacy of colonialism and the ongoing struggle for cultural identity and restitution, as well as the slow progress towards potential solutions involving international dialogue and the return of some items by descendants of the original looters.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡British Museum
💡Cultural Artifacts
💡Disputed Ownership
💡Benin Bronzes
💡Colonial Power
💡Cultural Identity
💡Benin Punitive Expedition
💡Cultural Restitution
💡Historical Artifacts
💡Cultural Reconstitution
💡Ethical Debate
Highlights
The British Museum is the world's largest world history museum with over 8 million artifacts spanning 2 million years of human history.
Nearly half of the museum's 'Don't Miss' items have disputed ownership, with many countries fighting to have them returned.
The British Empire's expansion in the late 1600s resulted in the acquisition of thousands of cultural artifacts, many ending up in the British Museum.
Some items in the museum, like a 2,000-year-old Roman vase, were legally acquired and undisputed.
The Rosetta Stone and Parthenon Sculptures are among the disputed items, taken by British forces from Egypt and Greece respectively.
The Benin Bronzes, produced in present-day Nigeria, are some of the most contentious items in the museum, taken during the 1897 Benin Punitive Expedition.
The Benin Bronzes served as visual archives of the Kingdom of Benin, narrating its history, political, and social life in a society without written script.
The Benin Disaster of 1897 led to the British punitive expedition, which aimed to retrieve the vast treasures in the Benin palace to offset the cost of the invasion.
British soldiers conquered and burned the city of Benin, taking thousands of artifacts, which were labeled as 'loot' and sold worldwide.
The Benin royal family requested the return of all illegally taken cultural property in 2000, but the British Museum has largely ignored these requests due to a government act.
The British Museum claims its value lies in its breadth, scale, and unity as a 'library of the world', but critics argue it still behaves like a colonial museum.
In 2014, the grandson of a British soldier from the 1897 Benin Expedition returned two items to the Benin royal family, signaling a potential shift in attitudes.
The Benin Dialogue Group, formed in 2007, has been discussing solutions between Western museums and the Nigerian government, though no Benin Bronzes have been returned yet.
The contested objects in the British Museum represent a legacy of colonial power and the ongoing debate over cultural and historical identity and ownership.
The process of cultural reconstitution is a long-term project that may extend beyond a single lifetime, but it is crucial to start now rather than waiting for future generations.
Transcripts
This is the British Museum.
It’s the world’s largest world history museum
and it draws millions of visitors every year.
Inside, it holds more than 8 million cultural and historical artifacts from all over the world
which cover 2 million years of human history.
If you follow the museum’s recommended list of “Don’t Miss” items, you’ll see its star pieces.
Like this Easter Island sculpture that’s
about a thousand years old.
Or this bronze sculpture of the Hindu God Shiva.
But there’s a problem hidden in the museum,
and we can see an example of it along this route.
Out of those 12 pieces, nearly half have disputed ownership.
The British Museum claims those pieces belong there, on display for the world to see.
But in recent years, many have been fighting to get them back to where they came from.
"The list of disputed museum treasures keeps on growing"
“Should cultural artifacts be returned to their home countries or be left in western museums?"
"The subject of intense debate as to who should now own them”
Let’s start with some context.
In the late 1600s, the British Empire began expanding across several continents.
It became the largest empire in history, controlling about a quarter of the world’s land and population.
During its centuries-long rule, the empire
took precious resources and wealth from countries all around the world,
Including thousands of cultural and historical artifacts.
Many of which ended up here, in the British Museum
which was founded in 1753 and kept growing to accommodate all the new pieces
in its collection.
Lots of the items in the museum were legally acquired
and are completely undisputed, like this one.
A 2,000 year old roman vase sold to the museum by a Duke in 1945.
The problem is with the pieces that are disputed.
Like the first item you see as soon as you walk in.
The Rosetta Stone, taken by British troops
from the French in what is now Egypt.
Or further in, the Parthenon Sculptures.
Removed from the acropolis in Athens by a British Lord, and sent to the British Museum.
Or, over here.
On the floor dedicated to African Art.
The Benin Bronzes.
Some of the most contentious items in the museum.
The Benin Bronzes are kind of hard to categorize,
because they include such a huge range of items.
From engraved ivory tusks
to brass sculptures
to plaques.
But they were all produced here, in the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria.
This wealthy and industrious kingdom produced
thousands of objects and art pieces starting in the 1500s.
A lot of the items adorned palace walls and were used for religious rituals.
But they weren’t just decorative...
They were visual archives of the kingdom
in a society that did not develop written script as we know them.
That’s Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu, an art historian and professor from Nigeria
who teaches at Princeton University.
They told their history, how they narrated the histories of kingship
of the kingdom. Its political and social life.
But in 1897 would lose thousands of these cultural pieces.
At the time, European colonial powers were
expanding south, in what was called the “Scramble for Africa”.
They split up the continent into spheres of influence for financial exploitation.
All these pink areas were the British ones.
Benin, over here, was in Britain’s sphere of influence.
But the kingdom didn’t comply with Britain's trade demands.
And in January of 1897 it led to what was
called the Benin Disaster.
Where Benin guards killed seven British emissaries, plus their many guides and servants.
In response 1,200 British troops embarked
on a mission called the “Benin Punitive Expedition”.
The British wanted revenge, but the mission was about more than just that.
There were reports of these vast treasures in the palace of the king of Benin,
and that if they could retrieve these treasures, sales from it could offset the cost of the invasion
This was all well planned.
And so the punitive expedition, in other words, was also an economic enterprise.
The British soldiers armed with machine guns
conquered the city and burned it to the ground.
But not before carefully taking thousands of artifacts.
They piled them up neatly, photographed them
and even labeled them “loot”.
This photo, taken at the Benin palace after the raid,
shows soldiers with the dismantled plaques that were brought to the British Museum,
and sold all over the world.
And after hundreds of years,
the once prosperous kingdom was gone.
The region fell under full British colonial
control until 1960, when Nigeria, including the City of Benin, gained independence.
But even though they were finally free,
their historical artifacts were still spread all over the world.
Locked up in western institutions, like the Leipzig Museum of Ethnology in Germany
and the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.
And, of course, the British Museum.
1995.
In London.
That was my first time seeing an original ancient Benin artwork.
Yes. At the British Museum.
Being in the presence of these magnificent objects
and knowing that I had to travel all the way from Nigeria
to see these objects for the first time...
It was a mixture of pride.
At the achievement of these ancient artists.
And anger. Mixed with a sense of loss, at what could have been
if I only had to travel a few hundred miles.
But at this point, you're limited to those
privileged like me who could get a visa to travel all the way from Nigeria to England
to encounter these objects.
Most Nigerians will never see them.
In March 2000, Benin’s royal family tried to change that.
They officially requested “all cultural property illegally taken… be returned to
the rightful owner”
But for the most part the British Museum has ignored any requests.
The museum is restricted by a government act that prevents it from returning objects.
But it has also made its stance clear.
In July of 2020, the British Museum told Vox:
“We don’t restitute but we are absolutely committed to lending as widely as possible,
including to Nigeria. The Museum’s foundational value resides in its breadth, scale, complexity,
and unity and as such is a true library of the world.”
Chika doesn’t see it that way.
The British Museum still behaves
like a colonial museum.
You cannot claim to be...
an encyclopedic collector of stolen objects.
But some are starting to reckon with this history.
In 2014, the grandson of this British soldier from the 1897 Benin Expedition,
returned these two items he inherited to the Benin royal family.
And in 2007, the Benin Dialogue Group was formed.
Western museums and the Nigerian government have been discussing solutions ever since.
But as of today, none of their Benin Bronzes have been returned.
But this is just one story.
This legacy is bigger than the Benin Bronzes.
There are hundreds of similarly contested objects in the British Museum,
with their own rich histories — and with original owners trying to retrieve them.
But the problem is even bigger than the British Museum.
It’s a legacy of centuries of colonial power that repeats itself again and again.
With different artifacts, in different museums.
Because these requests aren’t just about items,
they are also about cultural and historical identity
and who gets to own it.
This is a long term project.
It may last beyond my own lifetime.
But the point is that it's now to start the process.
We cannot wait any longer for a next generation to even begin
the necessary task and project of cultural reconstitution.
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