A British Museum employee stands next to the Parthenon sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles, on display. Photo: Reuters
India could become a powerful Greek ally in the fight for the Elgin marbles as part of a foreign policy plan to support the victims of “colonial appropriation”.
The Telegraph reported that New Delhi is preparing a long-term campaign to return the artifacts, including Koh-i-Noor from the UK, but the diplomatic weight will also support other countries' repatriation efforts.
India plans to be a voice for countries that have been “colonial earmarkers” and will pressure major economic powers to do the same, in a diplomatic shift that could increase pressure on Britain and institutions already mired in scandal. over artifacts acquired during the empire.
India is chairing the G20 this year, and The Telegraph understands that during summits scheduled for September, officials plan to coax member states into signing an agreement supporting the return of historic artifacts to their places of origin.
Athens has so far been unsuccessful in its efforts to obtain Marbles from the British Museum, but an international commitment by the world's leading powers to repatriate could support the cause of Greece seeking to reunite the works of art exported by Lord Elgin in the 19th century.
Officials in New Delhi have accused India of wanting to take a global lead in the restitution of historical artifacts and is willing to be the voice of nations that are campaigning for cultural return, which could lead to an “avalanche” of successful repatriations.
Lily Pandeya, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture and its head of G20 culture, told The Telegraph: “We will seek consensus among countries and, as the G20 is the most influential forum, to achieve tangible results. results.
“We can be a voice around this table for other countries facing these challenges.”
She added: “During our presidency, we want to be the champions of the global south, those countries that are so heavily affected by heritage issues such as human trafficking and that have been subject to colonial appropriation in the past.”
An Indian model shows a copy of the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Photo: AFP
“Protection and restitution of cultural property” is one of the four cultural priorities for India as it approaches the G20 talks in the fall, and one aspect of this is combating modern-day illicit trafficking and the return of objects illegally seized under current legislation.
Cambodia seeking to recover sacred artefacts smuggled in during the Khmer Rouge may be one example of this, as is India's claim to a statue of the Hindu saint Chandikeshwara believed to have been taken out of anger in southern India which is currently kept in the Ashmolean Museum. Museum.
However, Indian officials are seeking to take a broader “moral-ethical” look at artifacts seized under circumstances that could have been acquired legally, but under coercion by a colonial power.
India is currently working on plans to return samples of their own cultural heritage from the UK, and officials want to return the artifact either by force or by collectors during British rule.
Over time, this demand will grow to include loot taken from the palace after its defeat by the British, and Amaravati marbles recovered from the ruins of a Buddhist stupa by civil servant Sir Walter Elliot and sent to London.
Greece has long been claimed that marble friezes, sculptures and metopes (tablets) of the 5th century BC. the world's largest economic powers.
India could push the G20 to announce the need to repatriate artifacts so seized, and given the number of rows British museums are involved in, from Greek and Elgin marbles to Nigeria and Benin bronzes, this could be an uncomfortable summit for British representatives.But if other countries supported India's plan to reach a consensus to return the disputed artifacts – the US was actively agreeing to the return – officials thought an “avalanche” could occur. agreements for the Western powers to return what they have acquired, and the UK may find itself isolated on this issue if it does not agree to this offer.
Ms Pandeya hopes that India will show itself as a leader in a diplomatic shift in regarding repatriation in September, which will lead to “tangible results”, stating: “We say in India that you 'must do your best' and show what you can do; we want to take the first step that can create an avalanche.”
UK law will prevent the British Museum, which houses the Amaravati and Elgin marbles, from swamping this avalanche, as the institution is legally obligated to keep its artefacts intact.
But India will seek agreement on general moral principles of repatriation that may conflict with specific national laws.
Ms. Pandeya, who recently hosted an exhibition of repatriated Indian artifacts to get the message across for the upcoming G20 summit, said: of these laws
“It is also a chance for other countries to show that they are doing the right thing by taking action in this area.
“I hope that other countries … will approve that what we are trying to do and that we can reach a consensus and speak openly about the past.”
Having a major power pushing for this could also be good news for other countries seeking to recover cultural artifacts, including Ethiopia, which asked the British Museum to donate the “tabots”, which are considered sacred in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
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