On the topic of the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, Victoria Hislop passionately advocates for their return to their rightful home in the magnificent Acropolis Museum, where they can be appreciated as part of a unified masterpiece, rather than being confined to a somber, grey room in London.

Margarita Vartholomeou in conversation with Victoria Hislop for The Panhellenic Post 

Q: You have been a strong advocate for the repatriation of the Parthenon Sculptures. Could you elaborate on your perspective and why this cause is particularly important to you?

Victoria Hislop's Answer: I think it is always important to begin with the facts.  The British Museum is very attached to a series of untruths about what Elgin actually did to bring the sculptures to Britain. 

a.They talk about a Firman (official permission from the  Sultan himself) which did not exist.  All Elgin had was a letter which only survives in translation.

b.They talk about the permission he was given to remove the sculptures (he was only given permission to pick up pieces of rubble that had already fallen). 

They do not reinforce the fact that Elgin was stealing the sculptures to decorate his own home in Scotland – and they purchased them from him to save him from bankruptcy. They are very stubborn about this – and do not tell the full story – the factual story.

I feel passionate about this cause – largely because of the facts of the removal of the sculptures – but even more because they are part of a whole work of art – and they should be reunified.  And that they should return home to the beautiful Acropolis Museum – rather than be displayed in a depressing, grey room in London.

Read the entire article in The Panhellenic Post.

BCRPM launched a campaign in 2020 entitled 'Tell the Story'. This was aimed at highlighting factoids used by the UK government and the British Museum. To read more about that initiative, follow the link here.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni welcomed Stephen Fry to Athens for the launch of his latest book 'Odyssey: The Greek Myths Reimagined'. 

Speaking at the Acropolis Museum alongside Minister Kefalogianni and Professor Stampolidis, the Director General of the museum, Stephen Fry stressed the importance of Britain working together with Greece to find a mutually agreeable solution for the return of the sculptures, currently housed at the British Museum in London. He pointed to recent examples of international collaboration, such as the return of the Fagan fragment from Sicily and the Pope’s donation from the Vatican Museum. We would add that there was an earlier return, the 

Stephen Fry’s calls for the return of the Parthenon Marbles began in 2011, continuing the efforts of his late friend, journalist Christopher Hitchens, who passed away that same year. Christopher Hichens wrote and was in London for the 3rd edition launch of 'The Parthenon, A Case for Reunification' in May 2008 at Chatham House, organised by BCRPM. The third edition is dedicated to BCRPM founder, James Cubitt and funds to publish this edition were raised by BCRPM and George Bizos with the South African Committee supporting the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.

BCRPM member, Christina Borg, interviewed Christopher at the 3rd edition book launch. To read that interview follow the link here.

To listen to Stephen's words during his Athens visit, visit YouTube. During this clip Professor Stampolidis the Director General of the Acropolis Museum is also speaking and reminds us all of the huge contribution that UNESCO's ICPRCP has made to raising the the plight of the divided Parthenon Marbles at international level. This was initiated over four decades ago by the then Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri and since 2021 including consecutive meetings of the ICPRCP, the recommendations made have added pressure to both the UK government and the British Museum, to begin dialogue and find a way forward. 

The great news is that dialogue did begin between PM Mitsotakis and the British Museum in 2021, and continues. 

Articles on Stephen Fry's Athens visit also in eKathimerini, ProThema and GTP.

Can the British Museum rebrand itself? Historic institution is planning a £150,000 makeover after a string of controversies, writes Chas Newkey-Burden for The Week UK

The British Museum is facing an "omni-crisis" as it launches a £150,000 rebrand project following a series of controversies that have shaken its historical foundations.

"Beset by colonial controversy, difficult finances" and "the discovery of a thief on the inside", the institution is battling to "reframe itself" in the public eye, said The Guardian.

What did the commentators say?

"As the century turned", so did public perception of the British Museum, said The Art Insider. As well as one of the "largest collections of artworks, antiquities and collectibles", the museum also has "one of the largest collections of controversies". To "re-invent itself in a new light" means beginning by "righting the wrongs committed in the past".

In "the years of identity politics", criticism of the museum "coalesces" around the case for repatriating the Benin bronzes, looted by the British from Benin City's royal palace in 1897, and the Parthenon sculptures, the legality of whose removal from Greece by Lord Elgin has been "disputed" for centuries.

It's often claimed that "there'd be nothing left" in the British Museum if it "returned everything" that the UK "allegedly stole from other countries", said Euronews, but the claim is "hyperbolic". In reality, the "vast majority" of the items in the museum originate from the UK.

But the museum's "weak leadership" and failure to properly address the criticism has "done little" to rebut the claim, said The Guardian. Then, in 2023, it emerged that one of the museum’s staff members had allegedly stolen or damaged 2,000 items from the collection, shattering the "assumption" on which its "legitimacy rests" – that it "looks after the objects in its care".

The challenges are part of a wider debate about museums and their evolving role. "Once tranquil places of dusty scholarship", said The Telegraph, they're now "on the front lines" of the culture wars, "grappling with the most modern dilemmas" from "consent and ableism" to "looted artefacts and how to separate the art from the artist".

Read the full article in The Week.

We are all looking forward to a new chapter for the British Museum under the direction of Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan and there is hope for a brighter future.  Here's to a museum that embraces the future with moral and ethical values that best represent the twenty first century as it takes on a new vision with regards to cultural co-operation. And for those at BCRPM, here's to the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles as a sign of respect for the Parthenon, which still stands and crowns the ancient and modern city of Athens, Greece.