Should the West give back its treasures? A playful video about a Chinese teapot escaping from the British Museum has reignited the debate about whether exhibits belong in their place of origin.
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TikTok goes wild as teapot escapes museum
Should the West give back its treasures? A playful video about a Chinese teapot escaping from the British Museum has reignited the debate about whether exhibits belong in their place of origin.
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A Chinese man is walking through London when a beautiful young Chinese woman knocks into him. Suddenly, as romantic music plays, she throws her arms around him: "Family!" she exclaims. "I've been wandering outside for a long time. I'm lost - I don't know how to find my way home..."
This is a video on China's version of TikTok, called Escape from the British Museum. The twist is that the young woman is a jade teapot which has come alive in human form. Now she is desperate to get back to China, where she belongs.
The video is slick and funny, but is part of a serious argument about museum exhibits.
The British Museum owns around 23,000 Chinese objects. A Chinese newspaper, Global Times, has called for them all to be returned.
The museum has long argued that it takes better care of such artefactsItems made by humans, especially ones of historical interest. than the countries they came from could. But last month it admitted that some 2,000 exhibits were "missing, stolen or damaged".
The Greek minister of culture declared that the revelation "reinforces the permanent and just demand of our country" for the return of the Elgin marblesA collection of Ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon and other places in Athens. They were brought to Britain in the early 19th Century, and are named after the Earl of Elgin, who removed the sculptures from their original place. .
Most people agree that, for example, art works stolen by the NazisA German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II. should be returned. But the history and ownership of many other things is less clear.
The V&A recently received a request from the Ethiopian government for the return of some valuable jewels. But then the AbyssinianThe Kingdom of Abyssinia began in the 13th Century and transformed into the Ethiopian Empire. royal family claimed that the jewels actually belonged to them - and so did the Coptic ChurchA church founded in the first century in Egypt. .
Nigeria has called for the British Museum to hand over the Benin bronzesA group of metal plaques and sculptures which decorated the palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in modern day Nigeria. , which were taken by British soldiers avenging a massacre in the 19th Century. Some have already been returned by other countries.
But now there is a big argument about whom they should be given to - the Nigerian government, a Nigerian museum or the king of Benin.
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Should the West give back its treasures?
Yes: Artefacts that are the product of a particular culture naturally belong in their place of origin. Museums which have benefited from looting have no right to hold on to them in a more enlightened age.
No: Humans have always been fascinated by other cultures, and history is full of complex interchanges. If museums only showed artefacts from their own countries they would be poorer by far.
Or... Museums like the British Museum only display a fraction of what they own. They should reduce their collections to what they can actually show and return the rest to countries that have a convincing claim to them.
Keywords
Artefacts - Items made by humans, especially ones of historical interest.
Elgin marbles - A collection of Ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon and other places in Athens. They were brought to Britain in the early 19th Century, and are named after the Earl of Elgin, who removed the sculptures from their original place.
Nazis - A German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II.
V&A - The Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Abyssinian - The Kingdom of Abyssinia began in the 13th Century and transformed into the Ethiopian Empire.
Coptic Church - A church founded in the first century in Egypt.
Benin bronzes - A group of metal plaques and sculptures which decorated the palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in modern day Nigeria.
TikTok goes wild as teapot escapes museum
Trouble brewing: The creators of the video gained five million followers in a single week. Glossary
Artefacts - Items made by humans, especially ones of historical interest.
Elgin marbles - A collection of Ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon and other places in Athens. They were brought to Britain in the early 19th Century, and are named after the Earl of Elgin, who removed the sculptures from their original place.
Nazis - A German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II.
V&A - The Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Abyssinian - The Kingdom of Abyssinia began in the 13th Century and transformed into the Ethiopian Empire.
Coptic Church - A church founded in the first century in Egypt.
Benin bronzes - A group of metal plaques and sculptures which decorated the palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in modern day Nigeria.