November 13, 2007
Is their any benefit with negotiating in the correct way with the British Museum
Neil MacGregor has in the past said that restitution claims against his museum have not been made officially, or in the correct way. It seems though that even if they are, it makes little difference to how they are dealt with.
From:
Time Magazine Blogs
November 13, 2007 8:43
Between a Rock and a Hard PlaceJust two weeks ago Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, was telling me that Egypt’s loan request to his museum for the Rosetta Stone, which it wants temporarily for the opening of Cairo’s Grand Museum in 2012, was made in precisely the right way. (This in contrast to Greek attempts to borrow the Elgin Marbles, which get sticky because the Greeks won’t acknowledge first that the Trustees of the British Museum are the marbles’ rightful owners.) Let the record show that MacGregor wasn’t prepared yet to say that his museum would say yes to the Egyptians either. Now Zawi Hawass, Egypt’s very high profile culture minister, is complaining that the Brits are stalling.
I think this is called conducting negotiations in public.
- Could the Elgin Marbles be returned to Greece? : April 21, 2007
- Britain to negotiate return of Ethiopian Tabots : November 5, 2004
- A talk with Neil MacGregor : November 9, 2007
- Greeks should be allowed to borriw the Elgin Marbles : April 21, 2007
- Will the Elgin Marbles ever make it Back to Athens? : April 18, 2007
- Are the Parthenon Marbles getting closer to the Acropolis? : April 21, 2007
- Greece to discuss Parthenon marbles issue with British Government : April 22, 2007
- The British Museum’s response on discussions with the Greek government : April 22, 2007
DR.KWAME OPOKU said,
05.13.08 at 6:42 pm
It has become clear that the British Museum will do anything except return a cultural object to its country of origin mainly becasue of the fear that this may set a precedent for the Parthenon/Elgin Marbles. But is this a reasonable fear? Will Britain lose its status in the world if the Marbles finally went back to Athens? Why can the British not imagine a magnanimous gesture and return the Marbles to Athens,after all nobody,not even the British Museum doubts that they are Athenian? Kwame Opoku.