Christina Keneally, the new Premier of the New South Wales, is the latest Australian to call for the Parthenon Sculptures to be returned to Athens, according to SBS radio.

“Returning the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece would be an important step in preserving Greek history and culture for future generations. These are ancient artifacts that are incredibly important to the Greek people and like many others around the world, the NSW Government believes they should be returned to their rightful home”, she said.

03 December 2010

New Chairman for the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles

PROFESSOR  Anthony Snodgrass retired from his position as the chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (www.parthenonuk.com and twitter BCRPM) and it was announced former MP Eddie O’Hara would take over the position.

Eddie O’Hara recently retired after 20 years as MP for Knowsley South and describes himself as “an unreconstituted classicist and lifelong supporter of the campaign for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles”.

Throughout his parliamentary career he tirelessly promoted the case for the Marbles to be returned to Athens, using various means including Early Day Motions, parliamentary questions, debates, meetings with ministers and the presentation of a Museums Bill, whose purpose was to remove any question as to whether museum trustees could divest themselves of objects in their collections. 

Eddie O’Hara commented: “Professor Snodgrass has earned universal respect for the dignity and scholarship with which he graced the campaign and I am very much looking forward to carrying on his great work and continuing to campaign for the Parthenon Marbles to be returned to Athens.”

The British Museum has deployed a seductive new argument against their return. They have argued that the British Museum is one of a small number of ‘encyclopaedic’ museums, such as the Louvre and the New York Metropolitan Museum, and that the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum form part of a wider narrative of the development of western art together with outside influences upon it.  They believe to return them would damage the integrity of this narrative.

Eddie O’Hara disagrees with these arguments and believes there are many other exemplars that the Greek Government could make available to replace the Marbles that wouldn’t damage the integrity of their narrative.

Eddie O’Hara also believes the British Museum overstates its case when it says that after two centuries in its collection the Marbles no longer play a part in any Greek narrative.

He comments: “They should not put narratives in competition with each other but if they do surely the most important story to be told by and on behalf of the Marbles is that they form an integral unity with those in Athens, and together they form an integral unity with one of the most important historical monuments in the world.”

Eddie O’Hara concurs with Eleni Cubitt, Hon Secretary of the Committee as he would welcome a credible response to the argument for the return of the Marbles on the grounds of human rights. The Faro Convention proposes that for a cultural community to be deprived of enjoyment of its cultural heritage is a violation of its human rights.

“The Greeks are a cultural community as defined by the convention and the Marbles are part of the cultural heritage with which they identify.   Where there is a dispute good practice as defined by the convention includes measures to look at cooperation and reconciliation of these differences” concludes Eddie O’Hara.

Eddie O’Hara studied Literae Humaniores at Magdalen College, Oxford and has been General Rapporteur for the Cultural Heritage and Museums Rapporteur for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

To contact Eddie O’Hara please call 07831 809 957 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ends: issued on behalf of the BCRPM by Marlen Godwin (01480 481689 and 07789533791 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Additional notes:

Professor Anthony Snodgrass Fellow of the British Academy, Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, University of Cambridge held the position of Chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures from 2002 to 01 July 2010. His predecessor was the erudite Arts Campaigner Graham Binns (1997 -2002).

Since its foundation in 1983, the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (www.parthenonuk.com) has achieved a great deal. Significant milestones include:

• Success in persuading the British Museum to refer to the Marbles as the Parthenon Marbles instead of the Elgin Marbles. Also the gallery in the British Museum was renamed the Parthenon Gallery.
• Taking an instrumental role in the publication of Christopher Hitchens' book on the Parthenon Marbles, the third edition of which - The Parthenon Marbles: The Case for Reunification - with a preface by Nobel Laureate, Nadine Gordimer, was launched in London at the end of May 2008.
• Initiating and organising many public debates on the topic, all of which the British Museum has refused to participate in. The last debate, chaired by Professor Anthony Snodgrass, Chairman of the BCRPM, took place at Cambridge University  in February 2008. The final vote was 114 for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures and 46 against.

The latest Mori poll results of September 2008 showed that 69% of those familiar with the Marbles debate support return, as opposed to 19% who oppose it (50% of the 2,109 people asked had knowledge of the Marbles debate).

The archives of the BCRPM have been donated to Kings College, London and these can be found in the Department of Greek History.

08 November 2010, London

THE WINNERS of the UK travel trade’s most prestigious annual tourism project awards were announced at the British Guild of Travel Writers’ Annual Gala Awards Dinner held at the Savoy in London on November 07, on the eve of the World Travel Market.

The event is the UK’s premier occasion for the travel industry to recognise the world's most innovative and newest tourism projects following nominations from members of the Guild, the premier professional association for bonafide journalists, editors, photographers, and radio and film broadcasters working in the travel field from Britain.

The Guild Tourism Awards presented for successful and environmentally sustainable projects that benefit local communities, are highly coveted.

The evening was attended by more than 300 of the UK’s top travel media professionals as well as high-profile representatives of the international travel world.

Globe category

The winner of the Globe Category (receiving more than 250,000 visitors a year), nominated by Nigel Tisdall, was the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, built to replace the old museum which has done an admirable job since 1865, but was short of space. In 2001 a competition was held to build a new museum - one ten times larger and fit for the 21st century. The competition was won by a Swiss architect, Bernard Tschumi, and  the new Acropolis Museum opened in June 2009.

Bright and spacious, the new museum lies at the foot of the Acropolis and has already attracted over two million visitors - many are amazed by the perfection of its design and the beauty of the artworks within. Built on three levels like disjointed slabs, the galleries use locally-sourced marble and recyclable glass and steel, and make ingenious use of convection to reduce the need for air conditioning. Wheelchair-friendly with 14,000 square metres of exhibition space, it rarely feels crowded. Signage is commendably unintrusive and visitors can walk right round its marvellous sculptures, with the changing daylight creating a contemplative atmosphere.

Melissa Shales, Chairman of the British Guild of Travel Writers presents the Globe Award to Greek Deputy Minister for Culture & Tourism George Nikitiades.

Many critics, yet the new Acropolis Museum has instantly leapt into the company of the world's greatest museums

Review by David Whitley on

www.grumpytraveller.com

The Parthenon Marbles will be among the cultural treasures under discussion this week as a United Nations committee promoting the return of cultural property to their countries of origin meets for three days in Paris.

Specifically, the Committee will consider the ongoing negotiations between Greece and the United Kingdom concerning the Parthenon Marbles, between Turkey and Germany on the Sphinx of Bogusköy, and the recent return of the Makonde Mask by a private Swiss museum to Tanzania.

The committee will also continue the study it launched last year on alternative means of conflict resolution concerning cultural property, and discuss the creation of a database of successful restitution cases.
The future database is intended to demonstrate the diverse types of restitution claims and arrangements possible, as well as the wide range of cultural objects and States involved.

Its members will also work on the elaboration of model rules aimed at helping States define their ownership of cultural property – particularly undiscovered archaeological objects – and will discuss a set of consolidated draft rules of procedure on mediation and conciliation.

The committee is known formally as the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation, and it was set up within the context of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

As part of its work during this session, the Committee’s secretariat has invited key representatives of the global art market – Christie’s, Sotheby’s, SNA, CINOA and SYMEV – to present their role in ensuring ethical and legal practices.

In addition, UNESCO’s partner institutions – the International Council of Museums, INTERPOL, World Customs Organization, UNIDROIT, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Carabinieri (Italy) and l'Office Central de lutte contre le trafic des Biens Culturels (France) – will report on their most recent activities in the protection of cultural heritage.

Established in 1978, the Intergovernmental Committee is responsible for facilitating bilateral negotiations for the restitution or return of cultural property to its countries of origin – and promoting such restitution.

The book “Building the New Acropolis Museum” is by Niki Dollis and illustrated and designed by Elena Zournatzi. 

The children’s book tells the story of the realization of a dream. As Niki Dollis mentions in her introduction, it is “a book about hope, expectation… but also hard work for the construction and preparation of the New Acropolis Museum”. 

The storybook “Building the New Acropolis Museum” by Niki Dollis is published by Livanis Publishing Organization.

Through the 60 pages of her book Dollis familiarises young and all readers, with the notion of a museum.  It is a very interesting subject to begin with especially when it serves as an open window to the world of ancient Greece, such as the New Acropolis Museum.

The images are digitally processed.  The texts, graphics and illustrations are dominated by bright colors.  The book tells the story of the monument established 2,500 years ago up until the final stage of the construction of the New Museum.  It invites the reader to an exciting experience of taking a “walk… in history!” as Niki Dollis writes.

Dollis wanted to share with everyone her unique experience since 2000, when she started her collaboration with Dimitris Pantermalis at the Organization for the Construction of the New Acropolis Museum.  She is now in charge of public relations.

In order to get the message throughout the world, the book was also written in English. For copies follow the link. 

“When I enter the museum, I feel, I believe, such as our visitors – as if I am entering another Greece – but also great satisfaction and pride. That is why I felt the need to speak out, especially to children, for a case that some may have considered given”, stated Niki Dollis.  She wanted to pass on a specific message to the children; that when you really want something, it can become true.

“I believe it was worth for someone to speak on the great, collective work of many people, which was required to successfully reach the realization of the dream. People who loved what they did and cooperated really well, something which is not so common in Greece. The Head of the Museum, Dimitris Pantermalis, architects Bernard Tschumi and Michael Fotiadis and many others. I thought to myself now this is a good example for the children as I personally believe in collective work, through which you can learn a lot. I believe that this is what we need the most in Greece today”.

From Australia to Greece
Dollis was born and raised in Melbourne by Greek parents with roots from Laconia and Lavrion.  She never imagined that someday she would be working at the New Acropolis Museum, let alone to write her first book on it.

“For a Greek of the Diaspora, being so close to the Acropolis is something fantastic”, says Niki Dollis, who had a first “live” glimpse of the world monument – symbol at the age of twelve, when television programs started in Australia.

Having completed her studies as a social worker at the University of Melbourne, Niki Dollis actively participated in Australia in the development of employment programs for the unemployed, the operation of community centers, and the improvement of immigrant access to the healthcare system. She also served as the Director of the Greek-Australian Welfare.  Dollis also served as president of an Australian NGO which represented the needs of global citizens with disabilities.

Since 1989 she worked at the Health Ministry in the State of Victoria as a consultant on improving immigrants’ access to the healthcare system services.  She then became a Director of the relevant department. Meanwhile she was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Healthcare to prepare a national consultation document for immigrants’ access to Healthcare Services, while she was in charge of a program of the Federal Government and the seven States of Australia, aiming towards the amelioration of Public Healthcare. (National Public Health Partnership)

Along with her husband Dimitris Dollis, who was an MP at the time and Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Victoria, took a very important decision to move permanently to Greece along with their two children, Nina and Giannis in 1999.

“Whatever I learned through my work in Australia, was as if I was preparing for work here” says Dollis, since the museum as she states “is a public service, with a historical and cultural character, but substantially serves as a public service which must be accessible to the public, in the best possible way, away from bureaucratic procedures”.
Personally she believes her collaboration with Professor Pantermalis is a great honor.  She describes him as an: “an open-minded person, who has the gift to guide his colleagues, but also listen to their opinion, which is something rare nowadays”.

Along with Professor Pantermalis she edited the text of the edition “Acropolis Museum; A year in operation”.

Today as the director of the Museum’s Head Office she deals with issues related to the operation of the museum, staff training and more. Something which gives her pleasure is seeing the pride of young people working in the museum and the efforts they make to give their best, responding to the rules governing its operation.  And the dream lives on…