The
destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan has sparked worldwide indignation
(pp.
24-25).
In committing this act, the Taleban violated a rule that is now proving universal,
namely that works of the past belong to all humanity. As such, this heritage must
be protected, first and foremost because it sheds light on our origins and constitutes
the building blocks of our identities.
For these same reasons, the plundering of treasures from any civilization, exacerbated
by the illicit art market, has become unacceptable. Lyndel Prott, head of Unesco’s
cultural heritage division, chronicles the rise of this awareness (pp. 18-21).
A flurry of initiatives is proof of this new outlook. Mali (pp. 26-27) is
striving to involve villagers in protecting the country’s heritage, just as Peruvian
archaeologist Walter Alva has successfully done at the Sipán archaeological
site (pp.
34-35).
In the United States, museums are returning symbolically charged artefacts to Native
Indians, their rightful owners (pp.
28-29).
On the law enforcement front, European police are boosting their co-operation (pp.30-31).
Thanks to investigations by the hard-nosed Turkish journalist Özgen Acar, we
know that works laundered by mafia-ridden networks can end up in some of the world’s
most prestigious museums (pp.
36-37).
In deciding to return to Italy three prized archaeological pieces of questionable
provenance, the California-based Getty Museum stands as a pioneer (pp. 32-33).
Slowly but surely, big players on the art scene are changing their ways. |
