Museums across the UK are reviewing their collections and their origins. This comes with growing pressure for museums to send items back to their countries of origin.
Britain’s museums are filled with rich and fascinating items, often from around the world.
But, as conversations take place about the country’s relationship to its history, there are many who believe these items should be sent back.
However, there is fierce opposition to returning items within the UK government. And there are fears that restitution could be a threat to Britain’s world-class heritage institutions.
“Contested heritage”
The Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, does not believe returning items from museums is the right thing to do. Instead, he would prefer museum’s to explain the origins of what he describes as “contested heritage”.
Britain’s largest museum, The British Museum, is visited by over 6 million people in an ordinary year. Much of its collection is disputed or controversial due to how it was acquired.
Famously, the Parthenon Marbles (or Elgin Marbles) have been the source of tension between successive British and Greek governments for decades.
The majority of the marbles, which used to adorn the walls of the Parthenon in Athens, are on display at the British Museum. Lord Elgin, who took the marbles in the early 1800s, claimed he had legal permission to do so.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with Greek newspaper Ta Nea that he believed the marbles now legally belonged to the British Museum.
Imperial Legacy
A Benin Bronze on display in the British Museum
The British Museum, and other institutions, are filled with many items that were stolen or bought during the colonial era.
It is these objects that are the source of much controversy when it comes to restitution.
The Benin Bronzes, tablets, face masks and other items from Benin City in modern Nigeria, are one of the collections that is the focus of campaigners.
There are around 100 items from Benin on display, in the basement Africa gallery of the British Museum. It is estimated there are a further 900 items in storage.
Much of the Benin collection was looted by British forces after a brutal raid of Benin City in 1897.
Former BBC and Al Jazeera journalist Barnaby Phillips has written a book on the subject, Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes. He says the 1897 raid was “catastrophic” for the Edo people, as a huge amount of their culture was looted or sold.
The royal family of the Edo people, led by the Oba, have been working with Western museums to return the Bronzes to Benin City. There are plans for a major new Museum of West African Art in the city.
The hope is that a huge collection of Benin Bronzes could be the centrepiece of this new museum.
Tide is turning
Restitution is not just a debate limited to museums in the UK. In 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the mass return of objects from European museums to Africa. He said that “African culture does not belong to Europe”.
This year, Berlin’s Humboldt Forum announced that they would not be displaying their vast collection of Benin Bronzes when they reopen. The museum plans to return its collection to Nigeria.
Similarly, Ireland’s national museum and the Church of England plan to return Benin Bronzes in their collection.
The University of Aberdeen announced they would return a Benin Bronze in their collection. Museum director Neil Curtis said this decision was part of a wider examination of the origins of their collection.
They determined that their Benin Bronze was looted during the 1897 raid.
Manchester Museum is also in discussions about returning items in their collection. The museum has an impressive carved tusk that came from Benin City.
Manchester Museum director Esme Ward says that restitution actually offers great opportunities for outreach.
She told City News: “The argument about restitution is always about what we lose…I just think we’ve got it wrong”.
She said the “new perspectives” provided by working with communities was invaluable to the museum.
Empty halls
A Benin face mask in the British Museum
One of the main arguments against restitution is that if all items not from Britain were sent back, the halls of British museums would be nearly empty.
However, Esme and Neil don’t believe that is a realistic prospect. Esme said that the “slippery slope argument” did not “bare out in reality”.
Neil did a study on restitution from Scottish museums. He said that of all the millions of items in Scottish museums, there was only ” a couple of dozen” repatriation claims.
Therefore, it is unlikely that restitution is a threat to British collections.
What next?
Although the British Museum rarely comments publicly on restitution claims, it is actually unable to offer unconditional returns on its own.
The British Museum Act 1963 prevents the British Museum from offering permanent returns without Parliamentary approval.
And with the position of the current UK government, especially the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary, it is unlikely that any approval is on the horizon.
However, with growing support for repatriation of items across the UK and Europe. This debate will continue to be passionately argued.
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HeadlineShould we send items in museums back?
Short HeadlineShould we send items in museums back?
StandfirstThere are growing calls for items in British museums that were acquired during the colonial era to be sent back
Museums across the UK are reviewing their collections and their origins. This comes with growing pressure for museums to send items back to their countries of origin.
Britain’s museums are filled with rich and fascinating items, often from around the world.
But, as conversations take place about the country’s relationship to its history, there are many who believe these items should be sent back.
However, there is fierce opposition to returning items within the UK government. And there are fears that restitution could be a threat to Britain’s world-class heritage institutions.
“Contested heritage”
The Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, does not believe returning items from museums is the right thing to do. Instead, he would prefer museum’s to explain the origins of what he describes as “contested heritage”.
Britain’s largest museum, The British Museum, is visited by over 6 million people in an ordinary year. Much of its collection is disputed or controversial due to how it was acquired.
Famously, the Parthenon Marbles (or Elgin Marbles) have been the source of tension between successive British and Greek governments for decades.
The majority of the marbles, which used to adorn the walls of the Parthenon in Athens, are on display at the British Museum. Lord Elgin, who took the marbles in the early 1800s, claimed he had legal permission to do so.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with Greek newspaper Ta Nea that he believed the marbles now legally belonged to the British Museum.
Imperial Legacy
A Benin Bronze on display in the British Museum
The British Museum, and other institutions, are filled with many items that were stolen or bought during the colonial era.
It is these objects that are the source of much controversy when it comes to restitution.
The Benin Bronzes, tablets, face masks and other items from Benin City in modern Nigeria, are one of the collections that is the focus of campaigners.
There are around 100 items from Benin on display, in the basement Africa gallery of the British Museum. It is estimated there are a further 900 items in storage.
Much of the Benin collection was looted by British forces after a brutal raid of Benin City in 1897.
Former BBC and Al Jazeera journalist Barnaby Phillips has written a book on the subject, Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes. He says the 1897 raid was “catastrophic” for the Edo people, as a huge amount of their culture was looted or sold.
The royal family of the Edo people, led by the Oba, have been working with Western museums to return the Bronzes to Benin City. There are plans for a major new Museum of West African Art in the city.
The hope is that a huge collection of Benin Bronzes could be the centrepiece of this new museum.
Tide is turning
Restitution is not just a debate limited to museums in the UK. In 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the mass return of objects from European museums to Africa. He said that “African culture does not belong to Europe”.
This year, Berlin’s Humboldt Forum announced that they would not be displaying their vast collection of Benin Bronzes when they reopen. The museum plans to return its collection to Nigeria.
Similarly, Ireland’s national museum and the Church of England plan to return Benin Bronzes in their collection.
The University of Aberdeen announced they would return a Benin Bronze in their collection. Museum director Neil Curtis said this decision was part of a wider examination of the origins of their collection.
They determined that their Benin Bronze was looted during the 1897 raid.
Manchester Museum is also in discussions about returning items in their collection. The museum has an impressive carved tusk that came from Benin City.
Manchester Museum director Esme Ward says that restitution actually offers great opportunities for outreach.
She told City News: “The argument about restitution is always about what we lose…I just think we’ve got it wrong”.
She said the “new perspectives” provided by working with communities was invaluable to the museum.
Empty halls
A Benin face mask in the British Museum
One of the main arguments against restitution is that if all items not from Britain were sent back, the halls of British museums would be nearly empty.
However, Esme and Neil don’t believe that is a realistic prospect. Esme said that the “slippery slope argument” did not “bare out in reality”.
Neil did a study on restitution from Scottish museums. He said that of all the millions of items in Scottish museums, there was only ” a couple of dozen” repatriation claims.
Therefore, it is unlikely that restitution is a threat to British collections.
What next?
Although the British Museum rarely comments publicly on restitution claims, it is actually unable to offer unconditional returns on its own.
The British Museum Act 1963 prevents the British Museum from offering permanent returns without Parliamentary approval.
And with the position of the current UK government, especially the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary, it is unlikely that any approval is on the horizon.
However, with growing support for repatriation of items across the UK and Europe. This debate will continue to be passionately argued.
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