"British tourists love Greece and see the country as an ideal, safe holiday destination," British actor Stephen Fry said, during his visit to the Acropolis Museum in April. From the day he disclosed he would be visiting Greece, Stephen Fry posted on his Twitter account and in so doing promoting Greek tourism. Once in Athens, he kept  his 5.7 million followers informed with comments and photographs of his activities and the places he visited. Among them the archaeological site of Delphi, Ancient Olympia and the Argosaronic Gulf islands.

An ardent supporter for the return of the Parthenon sculptures, the renowned actor was accompanied in the Acropolis Museum by Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and the President of the Museum, Dimitris Pantermalis, who provided a guided tour of the Museum’s exhibits, the history and the culture of ancient Greece. While in Greece, Mr Fry re-posted his 2012 article, “Greece is the word” and reiterated that the Parthenon Mar-bles, should be returned to their country.

Professor Pandermalis welcomes Stephen Fry to the Acropolis Museum with a tour of the Parthenon Gallery

“The messages coming from abroad for Greek tourism are optimistic this year. However, there is still much to be done and we must work hard to achieve our goals. Mr. Fry loves Greece and is a real friend of the country and its people. Through his Twitter account, he clearly sends out the message that Greece is a safe and welcoming country. This is very important for our country at this critical period,” said the Tourism Minister, Olga Kefalogianni while Mr. Fry insisted that “Global civilization owes a lot to Greece and we must never forget that”.

http://issuu.com/greekpressoffice/docs/greece_this_month_-_april_2013

Sydney 15 - 17 November 2013

"At the international colloquy held in London in June 2012 the intention was announced that this would be the first of an annual series of such events. The British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles is pleased that the International Organising Committee – Australia for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles is planning to honour its commitment to hold the next colloquy in 2013 in Sydney.

The themes of the planned colloquy pick up and develop themes addressed in London.

The theme of Education addresses the evidence of opinion polls that public support for reunification is much influenced by awareness of the issues, including the role of museums.

The theme of Litigation is particularly topical in the light of increasingly aggressive initiatives by a number of countries, most notably and recently Turkey.

The theme of Economy provides the opportunity to consider how the conservation and exploitation of cultural heritage contribute to the economy, not least of Greece in its current economic crisis.

Finally the theme of Activism addresses the central purpose of the series of colloquies, to draw together the many initiatives worldwide and to exploit new media of communication to maximum combined effect.

The BCRPM welcomes the Sydney colloquy as an important contribution to this process."

For more information visit the Colloquy's website on:

www.parthenonmarblesaustralia.org.au/

Eddie O'Hara, 

Chairman BCRPM

26 February 2013

Cameron's views on returnism not supported by BCRPM

Prime Minister Cameron's views on 'retunism' not supported by BCRPM and others too.

Sharon Heal for Museums Journal :

http://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/26022013-cameron-condemned-for-lack-of-understanding-over-returnism-restitution-elgin-parthenon

PM's concept is simplistic and inadequate, say critics Prime minister David Cameron has been condemned for a lack of understanding following his statement last week about restitution of cultural objects.

Cameron was answering questions on a state visit to the site of the Amritsar Massacre, where British troops killed 379 Indians, when he was asked if he thought that the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is part of the Crown Jewels, should be returned as goodwill gesture. The prime minister said he didn’t believe in “returnism” and that wasn’t the right approach.

He added: “It’s the same question with the Elgin Marbles and all these other things. I think the right answer is for the British Museum and other cultural institutions in Britain is to do exactly what they do, which is link up with museums all over the world to make our collections, all the things that we have and look after so well - are properly shared with people around the world.”

But the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles has censured the prime minster for conflating the two cases.

Eddie O’Hara, Chairman of the BCRPM, said that each case must be judged by its merits.

 “In the case of the Parthenon marbles it is the probably unique demand for the reunification of the integral sculptured components of a Unesco world heritage monument, acquired in circumstances that were at best dubious, in an act of cultural vandalism.”

 He added: “The fact that he conjoined two such widely differing cases as the Koh-i-Noor diamond and the Parthenon Marbles, and the fact that he called the latter the "Elgin" Marbles suggests that he does not appreciate what a simplistic and inadequate concept ‘returnism’ is.”

 Additional notes:

1. "By the way, did Mr Cameron not notice the simultaneous outburst of "returnism" in the popular press at the removal in dubious circumstances for sale abroad  of a Banksy mural from a London building whose only cultural pretension was this spray on addition?" Questions Eddie O'Hara Chairman for the British Committee for the Reunification of the Partrhenon Marbles
2. Decolonising Culture by Christopher Price, Vice Chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (updated by Marlen Godwin)

Time was when European imperial powers assumed that theft and despoliation of cultural treasures from more fragile countries could be carried out with immunity. This is why in the 21^st century, the issue of looted art from the colonial era, refuses to go away.

Thankfully in the last decade we have had ‘movement’ starting with Tony Blair and the initiative to return the human remains of the Aborigines back to Australia. Italy has used the extent of their legal powers to promote arrangements with US museums to return disputed objects. At the same time initiatives and amendments to the Museum Law  also produced positive results for Holocaust looted objects being returned to ‘first peoples’ to whom they are meaningful and precious. UNESCO and ICOM continue with their efforts for a  global code of conduct over restitution of disputed cultural objects. More recently the European Commission is also planning to help Member States recover national treasures, which have been unlawfully removed from their territory by amending its current legislation.

Yet UK and the British Museum are sadly ‘stuck’ and this was reinforced by Mr Cameron’s comment that he doesn’t support ‘returnism’.

The majority of the surviving pieces of the Parthenon sculptures are mainly divided between Athens and London, between two superb museums: the recently opened Acropolis Museum and the long established British Museum.

In order to safeguard the ‘new’ reasons for keeping this peerless work of art divided between two major European cities, Neil MacGregor, the charismatic Director of the British Museum launched his History of the World and he has emphasised in interviews that the Marbles ‘tell a different story’ in the British Museum. A story that only suits the British Museum's narrative? Surely and as a sign of respect for what the ancients left behind, the best story that these sculptures ought to narrate is that which can be understood when they are viewed as closely as possible to the Parthenon, which still stands!

Research on museum visitors has concluded that the average visitor does not make meaningful connections between the randomly acquired objects held by ‘encyclopaedic’ museums. Indeed, given the choice between viewing the Parthenon Marbles within the artificial contexts applied to them by British Museum curators and experiencing them in the city of Athens from which they originate, the overwhelming evidence is that the majority of the public would prefer to see them returned to Athens.

Sharon Waxman in my opinion was the person that got closest to the core of the problem. She insisted in her book “Loot” that current “political possession” should and could  be replaced by “cultural cooperation”.

Although the British Museum trustees are not convinced, the British public (to whom the trustees are responsible) disagree. Polling results including the Museum Journal’s poll prior to the BCRPM’s International Colloquy in London last June, clearly show that there is a strong belief that the fragmented Parthenon marbles deserve to be reunited and seen as a whole in context  and with views to the building they were created for.

The British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles now in its 30^th year of campaigning  believes that a solution can be found. A solution which would earn the respect  for both museums and would not be seen as a victory or defeat for either. This solution needs imagination from the museums and support from their respective governments.

The worldwide support for reunification would recognise that progress can be achieved and abandoning the relics of cultural colonialism will improve cultural cooperation, which in turn may have a far reaching effect on other sectors . Mr Cameron’s goal of increasing trade relations and improving  the economy and indeed earning him and his party more votes, starts here. It isn’t about ‘returnism’ Mr Cameron but about cooperation - a word that would instantly enhance David Cameron standing, not just in this country but globally.

22 February 2013

Nothing new with Prime Minister David Cameron's firm stance regarding the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures .... Mr Cameron made much same point a few years ago in Parliment and he is entitled to his opinion -  an opinion that will not earn him global or popular support, but then he wasn't trying to grab our attention was he? 

http://www.ekathimerini.com

British Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out the return of the so-called Elgin marbles to Greece.

Speaking from India, where he is on an official visit, on Thursday the Tory leader turned down requests for the return of the Koh-i-noor diamond to Britain’s former colony saying he did not believe in “returnism.”

“It is the same question with the Elgin marbles,” Cameron said, referring to the classical Greek marble sculptures currently on display at the British Museum in London.

Greece has long campaigned for the marbles, which are part of the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis and which were removed by Lord Elgin during Ottoman rule, to be returned to their rightful place.

“The right answer is for the British Museum and other cultural institutions to do exactly what they do, which is to link up with other institutions around the world to make sure that the things which we have and look after so well are properly shared with people around the world,” Cameron said.

http://www.neurope.eu/

 Tuesday 19 February 2013

New legislation to facilitate recovery of illegally removed national treasures Article 

By Elena Ralli

The European Commission is planning to help Member States recover national treasures which have been unlawfully removed from their territory by amending its current legislation that has several inadequacies. Consequently, the European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani proposed today to strengthen the possibility for restitution available to Member States.

As Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship stated: "Safeguarding the cultural heritage of all Member States is of major importance to the European Union. Our proposal is therefore necessary to further strengthen the effectiveness of the fight against illegal trafficking in cultural goods. The harmful effect on our national treasures represent a serious threat to the preservation of the origins and history of our civilization."

The proposed changes would apply to cultural goods classified as "national treasures" unlawfully removed after 1993 that are now located on the territory of another Member State.

The suggestions regarding the amendment of the legislation include extending the scope of the definition of cultural goods, extending the deadline for initiating return proceedings in the courts of the country where the property is now located,  using the internal market information system to facilitate administrative cooperation and information exchanges between national authorities and finally, asking any possessor of an object requiring compensation for returning the object to prove it was not knowingly acquired illegally.

Illegal trafficking of cultural goods covers a wide range of activities from the unlawful removal of cultural property without compulsory permission, to trade in stolen goods.