The recent UK Supreme Court ruling that the government of South Africa was the rightful owner of 2 364 bars of silver recovered from a ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine gives pause for thought on the thousands of other treasures plundered during the colonisation centuries.
Durban — In the grand scheme of things, R783 million is not much compared with the probably trillions looted from countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and elsewhere by their colonisers, and usually over centuries of brutal occupation.
The recent UK Supreme Court ruling that the government of South Africa was the rightful owner of 2 364 bars of silver recovered from a ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine gives pause for thought on the thousands of other treasures plundered during the colonisation centuries.
And of course it was not only metals and other resources that were taken; precious historic and cultural artefacts are still on display in museums in Europe, instead of fulfilling their cultural and religious purposes and being tourist drawcards in their countries of origin.
The usual argument put forward by those loathe to part with their ill-gotten booty is that their current “owners” have “protected” the artefacts all this time and that the provenant countries may not be able to safeguard the material.
This a hollow defence in an era when most countries have modern, well-resourced museums and related infrastructure.
Another argument is that the material was obtained legally. But this does not take into account how views on – usually questionable – acquisition and ownership have changed over time.
It is also no secret that much of what was looted languishes in storage, only occasionally – if ever – seeing the light of day at special, one-off exhibitions before being mothballed again.
European attitudes to repatriation and restitution can best be summed up in the length of time it took France to realise the wrongfulness of its refusal to return Saartjie Baartman’s remains to South Africa.
However, there is cause for hope, with institutions like the Manchester Museum’s return earlier this year of more than 170 cultural heritage items to Aboriginal communities, and talk of returning the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Good on South Africa for standing firm on the silver.
Now bring back our other treasures.
Independent on Saturday
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