02-18-2024, 10:17 PM
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68332824
(Source: Getty Images / Above article)
The British Museum has been subject to a campaign by social media users in Chile demanding the return of a stone monument taken from Easter Island.
The museum has two moai statues which were taken from the Chilean territory of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, in 1868.
The online campaign began after an influencer encouraged his followers to "spam" the museum's Instagram posts with "return the moai" comments.
The British Museum said it deactivated comments on one social media post.
The island of Rapa Nui, located some 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from Chile's Pacific coast, is well renowned for its moai statues, which are said to embody the spirit of a prominent ancestor.
Yeah, this certainly isn't the only restitution claim that the British Museum is facing: there's also the Elgin Marbles, for example. And while I do sympathise with those who feel that a piece of their culture has been taken from them, I'm also keen to avoid emptying the world's great museums, since I see real value in those institutions.
With that being said, I am more open to granting these restitution claims if: a) I can be confident that the artefacts well be well cared-for in the country they're being returned to; b) they're being returned to their original historical location (and not simply being moved to another museum within that country); and c) it can be argued that this specific claim is a special case (that won't lead to the museum's entire collection being dismembered).
(Source: Getty Images / Above article)
The British Museum has been subject to a campaign by social media users in Chile demanding the return of a stone monument taken from Easter Island.
The museum has two moai statues which were taken from the Chilean territory of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, in 1868.
The online campaign began after an influencer encouraged his followers to "spam" the museum's Instagram posts with "return the moai" comments.
The British Museum said it deactivated comments on one social media post.
The island of Rapa Nui, located some 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from Chile's Pacific coast, is well renowned for its moai statues, which are said to embody the spirit of a prominent ancestor.
Yeah, this certainly isn't the only restitution claim that the British Museum is facing: there's also the Elgin Marbles, for example. And while I do sympathise with those who feel that a piece of their culture has been taken from them, I'm also keen to avoid emptying the world's great museums, since I see real value in those institutions.
With that being said, I am more open to granting these restitution claims if: a) I can be confident that the artefacts well be well cared-for in the country they're being returned to; b) they're being returned to their original historical location (and not simply being moved to another museum within that country); and c) it can be argued that this specific claim is a special case (that won't lead to the museum's entire collection being dismembered).
Board Information and Policies
Affiliation | Coffee Credits | Ranks and Awards | Name Changes
Account Deletion | BBCode Reference
Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights.
(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Detective Osprey for the sig!)
My Items