The statement by then Culture minister for Greece, Melina Mercouri that the road to reunification will be wide open when the Times is in favour followed by last week’s Times article begs the question: is the return of the sculptures prophetic?
Sophia Hiniadou Cambanis, wrote in Protagon.gr, 13 January 2022
Change of landscape.
The Times, the flagship newspaper of the British establishment, made a historic turn to support the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece: "they belong to Athens, they must be returned", writes the leader article!
The defenders of keeping the Parthenon Sculptures in the U.K. are looking increasingly lonely. A particularly important development in the long-running request marks both the transformation of British public opinion and the changing trend of museums for the repatriation of cultural treasures, together with the eloquent request for reunification by Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his visit to London mid November. The state visit included relevant proposal submitted to his counterpart, British Prime MinisterBoris Johnson.
This most recent support for Greece's request is welcomed by those that have reinforced the diplomatic route for the reunification of the sculptures, applying constant and methodical pressure and garnerning support from the international community. It was preceeded by the unanimous decision of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Commission for the Return of Cultural Property to Countries of Origin (ICPRCP), which at its 22nd Session (27-29 September 2021), adopted for the first time, in addition to the usual recommendation, a text focusing exclusively on the return of Parthenon sculptures. This new text, acknowledging the intergovernmental nature of the subject, was in direct contrast to the British side, which has consistently argued that the case concerns the British Museum. The Commission calls on the United Kingdom to reconsider its position and hold talks with Greece.
A precursor to the return, according to the British newspaper, is the agreement between Italy and Greece for the delivery, in the form of a deposit for eight years, the Parthenon marble fragment of the Goddess Artemis, a fragment of the VI stone of the eastern frieze of the Parthenon. This has been returned to the Acropolis Museum from the Antonino Salinas Museum in Palermo, Sicily. The fragment was taken at the same time as the forceful removal of the Parthenon Sculptures by Lord Elgin, from the Ottoman controlled Athens in the early 19th century and later sold to the University of Palermo. In return, Sicily will receive a statue of the goddess Athena of the late 5th century BC and a geometric amphora from the first half of the 8th century BC.
So the original Greek proposal to send Greek antiquities in return for exhibition at the British Museum is now considered tempting by the author of The Times leader article. As the newspaper explains, the dispute over the ownership of the Sculptures led to the failure of the agreement. The proposed solution, to resell the Sculptures at a symbolic price, is simple according to the article but contrary to the established Greek position, since they were removed illegally. However, the phrase " let Parliament now approve their return" paves the way for an amendment to the 1963 British Museums Act, which precludes the return of cultural heritage objects from the British Museum to their countries of origin. The law, in short, that also prevents the return of the Sculptures to Greece.
The New York Times in an article last December, entitled "While Europe returns artifacts, Britain remains silent" singles out London's attitude towards Athens over one of the most high-profile and controversial museum exhibits in the world, the Sculptures of the Parthenon, still on display in the British Museum. Contrary to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has repeatedly stated that the Sculptures are an integral part of the British Museum's collection, which presents the history of the world under one roof. Meanwhile European governments are rushing to announce policies to return cultural goods to their countries of origin.
France returned 26 items, 16th and 17th century bronze art pieces of unparalleled art to Benin in October, and Germany announced earlier this year that it would return to Nigeria the spoils of Benin. The Belgian government has agreed to transfer ownership of stolen items from its museums to African countries of origin. Already the recent Plenary Session of the 76th UN General Assemblyadopted the decision promoted by Greece for the return of cultural goods to their countries of origin, a decision considered to be a Greek diplomatic success.
Greece's constant demand for the reunification of the stolen Parthenon Sculptures with the mutilated ecumenical monument is a unique case based on respect for cultural identity and the principle of preserving the integrity of world heritage sites. This particular uniqueness of the Parthenon Sculptures is recognized by the main article of The Times in an unprecedented fashion, stating that it is like taking Hamlet out of the First Sheet of Shakespeare's works and saying that both of them can still exist separately!
The UK can only benefit from the long-awaited gesture, not of generosity, as the British publication describes it, but of justice. The statement by Melina Mercouri, who first made a request in 1982 for the Greek government to return the Parthenon Sculptures to the UNESCO General Conference on Cultural Policy in Mexico, combined with The Times favouring the return, is prophetic. The reunification will finally be given it's time.
Sophia Hiniadou Cambanis, legal and cultural management advisor to the Hellenic Parliament
