Let’s head across the pond this week, as there is a matter there that is worth considering. The U.K. announced that it is repatriating some of Ghana’s crown jewels, returning them to the African nation after having looted them from the Asante kings during the 19th century. Britain is said to be “loaning” the Ghanaian government the 32 gold artifacts, with the expectation that Ghana will return them to the U.K. at the end of a three-year term. Yeah, the reason that they must be loaned is because the U.K. has laws banning return of artifacts to their countries of origin.
These developments across the pond should remind us that the audacious nature of the colonizer spirit is alive and well today. And it must be reckoned with if we are going to have peace on a global level. Let’s be real: If the Brits had to return everything in their museums which did not originate with them, those museums would be barren. In fact, in just the Victoria and Albert Museum alone, there are 2.8 million items that belong to countries demanding repatriation. Yet the U.K. won’t do so on account of the British Museum Act of 1963 and the National Heritage Act of 1983 prohibiting the “de-ascensioning” of the items in their collections, or so they say. Yeah, the country built its wealth on the backs of nations that it raped and pillaged for centuries. And now the U.K. claims its hands are tied, and it can’t give those countries back their sacred cultural pieces because of the laws of the U.K. itself created.
The nerve! 2023 was supposed to be the year of the repatriation of artifacts. This time last year, the Houston Museum of National Sciences returned a wooden sarcophagus to Egypt that had been looted. A stolen Christopher Columbus letter was returned to Italy even though we know that dude is King Colonizer. Looted antiquities went back to Nepal, we shut down many indigenous sections of museums and returned items to tribes. The fact is the need for the reckoning is on a global scale, yet the U.K. doesn’t seem to get the message. From the Benin Bronzes to the Parthenon sculptures, the British continue their colonization by refusing to return what they have stolen.
It enrages me to the nth degree because it simply confirms that there is no real reckoning about colonization of the Global South. Rather, the raping and pillaging continues to be proudly put on display behind glass and Britain museums, if not maybe loaned back to the originating country as though the U.K. still holds some kind of rightful claim. God forbid the Brits simply develop their own culture rather than steal that of others. Because what, by holding on to that which doesn’t belong to the Brits, they’re really kind of just underscoring the notion that raping and pillaging is their culture.
Related
Adrienne Lawrence
Legal analyst, law professor & award-winning author
View Video LibraryCommentary
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Why interest rates will be higher for longer
17 hrs ago
Peter Zeihan
‘The worst it’s ever been’: Young Americans on democracy
Yesterday
Dr. Frank Luntz
How to handle plunging US birth rate before it’s too late
Yesterday
Peter Zeihan
Japan must confront reality of military threats
Wednesday
Peter Zeihan
UK keeping colonialism alive and well
Jan 31
By Straight Arrow News
The United Kingdom has agreed to loan 23 royal artifacts taken from the Asante Empire (modern Ghana) back to a museum in Kumasi, Ghana for a term of three years. The British looted the valuable items from the Asante during the Anglo-Asante wars of 1824 to 1900.
Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence says that the British are keeping colonialism “alive and well” by refusing to return these and other looted items to their native homes.
These developments across the pond should remind us that the audacious nature of the colonizer spirit is alive and well today. And it must be reckoned with if we are going to have peace on a global level. Let’s be real: If the Brits had to return everything in their museums which did not originate with them, those museums would be barren. In fact, in just the Victoria and Albert Museum alone, there are 2.8 million items that belong to countries demanding repatriation. Yet the U.K. won’t do so on account of the British Museum Act of 1963 and the National Heritage Act of 1983 prohibiting the “de-ascensioning” of the items in their collections, or so they say. Yeah, the country built its wealth on the backs of nations that it raped and pillaged for centuries. And now the U.K. claims its hands are tied, and it can’t give those countries back their sacred cultural pieces because of the laws of the U.K. itself created.
The nerve!
2023 was supposed to be the year of the repatriation of artifacts. This time last year, the Houston Museum of National Sciences returned a wooden sarcophagus to Egypt that had been looted. A stolen Christopher Columbus letter was returned to Italy even though we know that dude is King Colonizer. Looted antiquities went back to Nepal. We shut down many indigenous sections of museums and returned items to tribes. The fact is the need for the reckoning is on a global scale, yet the U.K. doesn’t seem to get the message. From the Benin Bronzes to the Parthenon sculptures, the British continue their colonization by refusing to return what they have stolen.
Let’s head across the pond this week, as there is a matter there that is worth considering. The U.K. announced that it is repatriating some of Ghana’s crown jewels, returning them to the African nation after having looted them from the Asante kings during the 19th century. Britain is said to be “loaning” the Ghanaian government the 32 gold artifacts, with the expectation that Ghana will return them to the U.K. at the end of a three-year term. Yeah, the reason that they must be loaned is because the U.K. has laws banning return of artifacts to their countries of origin.
These developments across the pond should remind us that the audacious nature of the colonizer spirit is alive and well today. And it must be reckoned with if we are going to have peace on a global level. Let’s be real: If the Brits had to return everything in their museums which did not originate with them, those museums would be barren. In fact, in just the Victoria and Albert Museum alone, there are 2.8 million items that belong to countries demanding repatriation. Yet the U.K. won’t do so on account of the British Museum Act of 1963 and the National Heritage Act of 1983 prohibiting the “de-ascensioning” of the items in their collections, or so they say. Yeah, the country built its wealth on the backs of nations that it raped and pillaged for centuries. And now the U.K. claims its hands are tied, and it can’t give those countries back their sacred cultural pieces because of the laws of the U.K. itself created.
The nerve! 2023 was supposed to be the year of the repatriation of artifacts. This time last year, the Houston Museum of National Sciences returned a wooden sarcophagus to Egypt that had been looted. A stolen Christopher Columbus letter was returned to Italy even though we know that dude is King Colonizer. Looted antiquities went back to Nepal, we shut down many indigenous sections of museums and returned items to tribes. The fact is the need for the reckoning is on a global scale, yet the U.K. doesn’t seem to get the message. From the Benin Bronzes to the Parthenon sculptures, the British continue their colonization by refusing to return what they have stolen.
It enrages me to the nth degree because it simply confirms that there is no real reckoning about colonization of the Global South. Rather, the raping and pillaging continues to be proudly put on display behind glass and Britain museums, if not maybe loaned back to the originating country as though the U.K. still holds some kind of rightful claim. God forbid the Brits simply develop their own culture rather than steal that of others. Because what, by holding on to that which doesn’t belong to the Brits, they’re really kind of just underscoring the notion that raping and pillaging is their culture.
Related
NYPD’s lack of lawsuit disclosure shields it from accountability
An examination of public records obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests revealed that nearly 13,000 legal cases brought against the New York City Police Department (NYPD) resulting in settlements or monetary awards over the past decade were not publicly disclosed, despite legal requirements to do so. Some analysts suggest that the NYPD’s failure…
Wednesday
Students learning brutal lesson on how police respond to protests
Student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza have escalated in the United States and around the world as civilian death counts in both Gaza and the West Bank continue to climb. Estimates show Israeli forces killed at least 42,500 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, and another two million survivors have been displaced from their homes.…
May 1
Supreme Court must end criminalization of homelessness
On April 22, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the nation’s homelessness crisis, considering whether an Oregon city had the right to ban homeless people from camping in public spaces. A majority of justices appeared inclined to support the city’s efforts to regulate homeless encampments on public grounds. This decision carries significant implications for the growing…
Apr 24
Why are non-consensual pelvic exams still happening?
More states are beginning to crack down on the surprisingly common practice of medical students and professional staff performing non-consensual pelvic exams on unconscious men and women in hospitals, universities and other medical facilities. Just one year ago today, those practices remained legal in a majority of U.S. states. Now, however, a new directive from…
Apr 17
Congress should repeal the Foreign Dredge Act
The collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge presents challenges for cleanup and construction crews who rely on dredging vessels to complete their work. That’s partly because of the Foreign Dredge Act, a 1906 law that prohibits foreign-made dredging vessels. Congress is now introducing a measure to revise parts of that law, although previous attempts to do…
Apr 10
Underreported stories from each side
Biden’s Israel weapons pause won’t dent Gaza protests, organizers say
15 sources | 11% from the left
USAF
World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target
13 sources | 0% from the right
Getty Images
Latest Stories
Chinese EV-maker Zeekr is coming to the US. Will Biden’s tariff hike stop it?
Watch 1:17
11 hrs ago
Anti-oil activists try to break into Magna Carta display
Watch 1:35
11 hrs ago
Charges dropped against 211 migrants who stormed border, DA appeals
Watch 1:30
11 hrs ago
Bumble founder: Future of dating could be one AI talking to another
Watch 2:39
12 hrs ago
VA school board votes to restore Confederate names changed in 2020
Watch 2:10
13 hrs ago
Popular Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Biden withholding weapons from Israel emboldens Hamas
17 hrs ago
Star Parker
Donald Trump has betrayed every conservative value
17 hrs ago
Dr. Rashad Richey
Putin’s promise of a long war might be hollow threat
Yesterday
Leon Aron
Why the Trump family is missing from court appearances
Yesterday
Jordan Reid