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Should museums give back looted treasures like the Benin Bronzes?

Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone and other artefacts to be returned.

An indigenous red-feather cloak was recently returned to Brazil from a museum in Denmark - where it had been on display for hundreds of years. There are other examples of historic and precious artefacts being returned to their countries of origin. And this is leading to a growing pressure to return more, like the Hoa Hakananai'a, originally taken from Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

The ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s Zeinab Dabaa in Cairo talks us through Egypt’s calls for the repatriation of three items: Queen Nefertiti’s bust, the Rosetta Stone and the Dendara Zodiac. Ashley Lime, a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ journalist in Nairobi, explains the significance of the Benin Bronzes - and why some museums are reluctant to let them go.

Alongside the campaigns to get valuable and historic items returned, there are also efforts to digitise treasures. Chidi Nwaubani is the founder of Looty, a radical art collective which wants to use augmented reality to create digital versions of artefacts and, in their words, β€œloot back” treasures. He was speaking to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Click.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Mora Morrison
Editor: Emily Horler

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14 minutes

Last on

Fri 27 Sep 2024 02:50GMT

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  • Thu 26 Sep 2024 17:50GMT
  • Fri 27 Sep 2024 02:50GMT

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