Glasgow to return looted items to India, Nigeria and representatives of massacred Lakota people in South Dakota, USA heralding the largest-ever repatriation of cultural artefacts. Rebecca Atkinson writes in the Museum's Association that Glasgow City Council has voted to return a number of cultural artefacts from its museum collections.

This includes the repatriation of seven Indian antiquities, in a move which is the first of its kind from a UK museum. Six of the artefacts were stolen from Hindu temples and shrines during the 19th century, while the seventh was illegally purchased, sold and smuggled out of India. All seven items were subsequently gifted to the city’s museum collection.

The council has also agreed to return 17 bronze Benin artefacts to Nigeria, having established that the objects were taken from ancestral altars at the Royal Court of Benin during the British Punitive Expedition of 1897.

As well as the repatriation of 25 Lakota cultural items that were sold and donated to the city’s museum collection by George Crager in 1892. Some of these items were taken from the Wounded Knee Massacre site following the battle in December 1890, some were personal items belonging to named ancestors, and the remainder are ceremonial items, all of which represent the belief, history and values of the Oceti Sakowin.

“The return of these objects from Glasgow Life Museums’ collection to their rightful owners represents the largest-ever repatriation of cultural artefacts from a Scottish museum and is a significant moment for our city – specifically, the repatriation of seven Indian antiquities is the first of its kind to India from a UK museum,” said Duncan Dornan, the head of museums and collections at Glasgow Life.

“By addressing past wrongs, we believe these returns will, in a small way, help these descendant communities to heal some of the wounds represented by the wrongful removal of their cultural artefacts, and lead to the development of positive and constructive relationships between Glasgow and communities around the world.”

Alberto Costa, the Conservation MP for South Leicestershire debated on Wednesday 30 April the British Museum Act of 1963 in relation to the Parthenon Marbles. 

Westminster Hall debates enable backbench MPs from any party to raise an issue, and receive a response from the government. They do not involve a vote on a particular action or decision. Instead, the aim is to: raise awareness of an issue, often as part of a wider campaign, seek to influence government policy, put the views of backbench MPs, opposition parties, and the government on record.

The debate on the Parthenon Marbles started at 11:00 am on Wednesday 30 April, and took place in the Grand Committee Room, the second chamber of the House of Commons. 

 Alberto Costa began: "I beg to move, that this House has considered the Parthenon marbles and the British Museum Act 1963.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I declare at the outset that I am the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Greece.

I am here today not for Greece but for my South Leicestershire constituents—who, like the constituents of many colleagues, are highly cultured people—and for all British people, who I think could benefit from a deal with Greece on the Parthenon marbles. The discussion about the Parthenon marbles, which reside in the British Museum, is very well known. I want to highlight at the outset that this is not a debate about the background to how the British Museum acquired these marbles, nor is it a debate about apportioning blame or arguing that the British Museum, its trustees or the British people have some form of moral responsibility to return these artefacts.

The sole and exclusive purpose of this debate is to put forward a proposition to benefit my South Leicestershire constituents and the constituents of all MPs across the United Kingdom, on whether a new and positive opportunity has presented itself to the United Kingdom, having left the European Union, to decide how it wishes to forge stronger relationships with each EU member state."

The Telegraphreported on this debate the day before stating that Mr Costa was looking for ways to entice cultural cooperation with regards to the Parthenon Marbles. He suggested that a request could be made  to the Acropolis Museum to wave the entrance fee for British visitors. That Greece offered rotating exhibitions of Greek treasures not yet yet seen outside of Greece and these could be shared across a umber of British museums. He was keen that no blame be proportioned nor that there was the need to rewrite history, but he felt it was about seizing post-Brexit opportunities for both the UK and Greece by embarking on "friendship, mutual respect and imagination in cultural cooperation."

During the debate, Mr Costa went on to ask four questions addressed to Sir Chris Bryant, the Minister for Creative Industries, Art and Tourism. Sir Chris Bryant is the Labour MP for Rhondda and Ogmore, and has been an MP continually since 07 June 2001. He currently holds the Government posts of Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport), and Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology).

 Minister Bryant responded at length, including stating: "The important point that I am trying to clarify—because I think there has been some misunderstanding—is that under existing law, it would be impossible for there to be a permanent or indefinite loan. The trustees would be required, in seeking a licence to export, to show that they were absolutely certain that the items were returning. I do not think that would be easy if they had arranged a permanent or indefinite loan —the point being that we would have to change the law. Member may ask is whether we are intending to change the law. We have no intention to change the law."

'Repatriation of objects is on the government’s agenda, says UK culture secretary', the headline of The Art Newspaper article by Gareth Harris.

The UK’s secretary of state for culture, Lisa Nandy, has said that the government is in discussions with national museums about the repatriation of certain objects.

Music to our ears! This also struck a chord with Tristram Hunt, Director of the V & A. Tristram urged the review of the UK museums deaccession act when he spoke in July 2022 whilst attending Cultural Diplomacy at Art for Tomorrow's panel which took place at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. To read more on what Tristram said then, follow the link here. 

Responding to news that ministers are now exploring the repatriation of precious objects, Hunt told The Art Newspaper: “It is very encouraging to learn that the culture secretary is supportive of repatriation reform and updating the legislation that prevents national museums from deaccessioning objects in their collection. We now look forward to active conversations on this with the ministerial team.”

More links to this story also in ARTnews and Museum + Heritage.

To read Lisa Nandy's speech at the Labour Party conference, follow the link here.

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Nine days later, on 05 October, Yannis Andritsopoulos, UK correspondent for Ta Nea published in the Greek daily newspaper (www.tanea.gr) an exclusive interview with UK’s secretary of state for culture, Lisa Nandy, outlining the UK government willingness to engage in direct talks with Greece over the Parthenon Marbles controversy.

To read the Ta Nea article in English, you can also follow the link here.