Libya’s Mosaic Repatriation Battles with European Museums

Wɔatwerɛ nsɛm wei wɔ Asante Twi mu

Libya, ɔman a ɛwɔ Afrika Atifi fam a Greekfoɔ ne Romanfoɔ ne Berberfoɔ agyapadeɛ ahyɛ mu ma no rehwehwɛ sɛ wɔde nneɛma a ɛsom bo - titiriw tete nneɛma a wɔde mfonini ayɛ - a wɔfow wɔ nniso bere mu anaa wɔde guam wɔ amammuisɛm mu a wontumi nyɛ ho hwee mu no san ba. Nsɛm a ɛhaw adwene paa wɔ Libya amammerɛ mu agyapade ho amanne mu no bi ne Roma mmere mu mfoni a ɛyɛ fɛ a ɛwɔ Europa tete nneɛma akorae mu a wɔresan de aba ɔman no mu. Mmɔden a wɔrebɔ sɛ wɔbɛsan agye wɔn nneɛma no da akodi akɛse a ɛrekɔ so wɔ nnommumfa mmere mu, amanaman ntam mmara, ne hokwan a aman wɔ sɛ wɔsan gye wɔn amammerɛ mu agyapade no adi.

Abakɔsɛm ne N'amammerɛ mu Mfasoɔ

Libya yɛ Romafo tetefo atenae a wɔakora so yiye paa wɔ Mediterranea, titiriw tete nkurow te sɛ Leptis Magna, Sabratha, ne Cyrene, a na ɛyɛ mmeae titiriw a na Romafo di dwuma wɔ adwinni, aguadi, ne amammerɛ mu. Wɔagye ahoni a wotutu fii saa mmeae yi mu no adi sɛ ɛyɛ fɛ, ɛyɛ mfonini a ɛyɛ fɛ, na ɛkyerɛ anansesɛm ne asetram nneɛma bi^[1]. Saa nnwinnade yi nyɛ adwinni agyapade nkutoo, na mmom ɛho hia na ama yɛate dwuma a Afrika Atifi famfo di wɔ tete wiase no mu no ase.

Ahonyadeɛ a Wɔwieeɛ Wɔ Nkoasom mu ne Atɛnkyea

Bere a Italyfo dii Libya so (1911-1943) no, tete nneɛma a wɔatutu fam ahu ne tete nneɛma afoforo pii na wɔn a wotutu fam ahu no de kɔyɛɛ nneɛma wɔ Italy tete nneɛma akorae, a na National Roman Museum ne Museo delle Terme wɔ Rome ka ho. Ɛwom sɛ wɔtwee wɔn mu bi ho kyerɛwtohɔ wɔ tete nneɛma a wɔatutu fam ahu no ho, nanso wɔn a wɔkasa tia no kyerɛ sɛ wɔtwee wɔn mu bi a na wɔnni baabi a wɔtete no ho adwempa, na na wɔhyɛ wɔn sɛ wɔnkɔ hɔ bere a na wɔte hɔ no^[2].

Nsɛm a ɛda nsow paa no mu biako ne Romafo mfoni kɛse bi a woyii no fii Kirene de kɔkyerɛw wɔ Europa. Wɔ afe 2011 mu no, wohui wɔ baabi a wɔkora nneɛma wɔ Geneva, Switzerland, a na wɔakɔbɔ wɔn agu Libya wɔ Gaddafi nniso ne ɔko a esii wɔ afe 2011 akyi no mu. Libya aban, a UNESCO ne Interpol boa wɔn no, de wɔn ani sii mmara so sɛ wɔbɛsan agye mfonini no ne nneɛma foforo a wɔtɔn no^[3].

Nhyehyɛeɛ a Wɔayɛ Wɔ Amanaman Ntam ne Mmara Kwan So a Wɔde Bɛsan Aba

Libya's claims for restitution have relied on multiple legal frameworks, including the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Prohibition of the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and the UNIDROIT Convention of 1995 on stolen or illegally exported cultural objects. Ɔmanfo a wɔhwehwɛ sɛ wɔsan fa nneɛma a wɔawia anaa wɔde kɔ amannɔne a mmara mma ho kwan, ne UNIDROIT apam a wɔyɛɛ no afe 1970 a ɛfa amammerɛ mu agyapade a wɔtɔn wɔ amannɔne a mmara mma ho kwan, ne UNIDROIT apam a wɔyɛɛ no afe 1995 a ɛfa amammerɛ mu agyapade a wɔwia anaa wɔde kɔ amannɔne a mmara mma ho kwan ho. Nanso, esiane sɛ amammerɛ mu basabasayɛ rekɔ so wɔ Libya na amammerɛ mu adwumayɛbea ahorow ntumi nyɛ pii nti, wɔn a wɔde wɔn ho hyɛ mu no ayɛ mmerɛw.

Ɛmfa ho nsɛnnennen yi no, Libya atumi ama wɔasan de nneɛma a wɔde mfonini ayɛ no bi aba. Wɔ afe 2018 mu no, wɔsan de Roma mfoni bi a ɛyɛ Hercules ho mfonini fii Italy bae, bere a Libya aban ne Italy aban yɛɛ adwuma no akyi^[4]. Saa adeyɛ yi yɛ Italyfo ahofama kɛse bi a wɔde bɛsan akɔfa nneɛma a wɔfow fii wɔn hɔ wɔ wɔn nniso ase no mu na wɔahyɛ wɔn ntam abusuabɔ mu den no fa.

Dwumadie a bea a wɔkora nnoɔma ne amanaman nnwumakuo ahodoɔ yɛ

Europa tete nneɛma akorae ahorow a wɔde Libyan mfoni ayɛ no mpɛ sɛ wɔbɛsan de aba, na mpɛn pii no wɔka sɛ ehia sɛ wɔkora so, wɔfa mmara kwan so, anaa wɔhyɛ wɔn mmara ase. Nanso, wiase nyinaa adwene a ɛreyɛ kɛse wɔ nneɛma a wɔakora so ho no ama ahyehyɛde ahorow no ayɛ wɔn adwene sɛ wɔbɛsan ahwɛ nneɛma a wɔakora so no. Libya asɛm no si abrabɔ mu nsɛnnennen a Europa tete nneɛma akorae rehyia no so dua: sɛ wɔbɛkɔ so ada nnwinne ahorow a wonyaa wɔ nnase so no adi anaa wɔde wɔn nneɛma bɛsan ama sɛ abakɔsɛm mu atɛntenenee kwan bi^[5].

UNESCO, ICCROM, ne ICOM adi dwuma titiriw wɔ Libya amammerɛ mu nneɛma a wɔde asisi hɔ no ho, na wɔabɔ mmɔden sɛ wɔbɛsan de n'agyapadeɛ no akɔ hɔ asomdwoe mu. Saa ahyehyɛde ahorow yi si so dua sɛ nneɛma a wɔsan de ma no nyɛ honam fam nneɛma a wɔsan de ma kɛkɛ, na mmom ɛyɛ nidi ne ahosodi a wɔsan de ma^[6]^[7].

Ɔhaw ahodoɔ ne kwan a wɔbɛfa so asɔ ano

Ɔko a Libya rebɔ sɛ wɔbɛsan de nneɛma a wɔde ayɛ mfonini no aba ɔman no mu no, amanyɔsɛm mu mpaapaemu a ɛwɔ ɔman no mu, ahobammɔ a enni nnyinaso pa, ne sika kakraa bi a wɔde bɛhwɛ tete nneɛma akorae ne agyapade a wɔde bɛhwɛ so no ama ayɛ den. Bio nso, mpɛn pii no, nsɛm a ɛkɔ so wɔ aman ahorow so wɔ mmara kwan so no yɛ nea egye bere pii na emu yɛ den esiane adanse a enni hɔ ne aman ntam haw nti.

Sɛ Libya betumi akɔ n'anim a, ebehia sɛ n'apamfo a wɔwɔ aman foforo so boa no bere nyinaa ma otumi nya mmara, nnwinnade, ne nnwumakuw a ɛhwɛ n'asɛm so. Ɛsɛ sɛ amanaman ntam akuw no, titiriw tete nnwumakuw a na wɔyɛ tete nnwumakuw no mu tete nneɛma akorae no nso yɛ nhwehwɛmu a emu da hɔ wɔ baabi a efi ne nsiesie a wɔde yɛ nneɛma ho nhyehyɛe a emu yɛ den.

Mmeaeɛ a menyaa mmoa firiiɛ

↑ D.J. Mattingly (2003-09-02), "The Cultural Character of Tripolitania", Tripolitania, Routledge, pp. 160–170, ISBN 978-0-203-48101-1, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Raphael Cohen-Almagor (2020-06-06), "Christians, C. (2019). Media ethics and global justice in the digital age. NY: Cambridge University Press. 428 pp.", Communications, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 153–155, doi:10.1515/commun-2019-0175, ISSN 1613-4087, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Agnès Bardon (2020-11-01), "Wide angle: 50 years of the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods", The UNESCO Courier, vol. 2020, no. 4, pp. 5–8, doi:10.18356/202d3744-en, ISSN 2220-2293, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Alhadi A. Elakrimi, Abdurazag A. Shebli (2018-08), "Investigation of the Processing of Libyan Crude Oil Residues into Carbon Fibres", International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 147–158, doi:10.18178/ijcea.2018.9.4.716, ISSN 2010-0221, retrieved 2025-07-02 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
↑ Muriel Verbeeck (2020), "Dan Hicks, The Brutish Museums. The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution", CeROArt, vol. 12, doi:10.4000/ceroart.8297, ISSN 1784-5092, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ Robin P. Harris (2017-10-01), "Examining the Role of UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage", Storytelling in Siberia, University of Illinois Press, ISBN 978-0-252-04128-0, retrieved 2025-07-02
↑ UNESCO World Heritage Centre, In memoriam: Dr Henry Forrester Cleere (1926-2018) (in English), retrieved 2025-07-02

[1] D.J. Mattingly (2003-09-02), "The Cultural Character of Tripolitania", Tripolitania, Routledge, pp. 160–170, ISBN 978-0-203-48101-1, retrieved 2025-07-02

[2] Raphael Cohen-Almagor (2020-06-06), "Christians, C. (2019). Media ethics and global justice in the digital age. NY: Cambridge University Press. 428 pp.", Communications, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 153–155, doi:10.1515/commun-2019-0175, ISSN 1613-4087, retrieved 2025-07-02

[3] Agnès Bardon (2020-11-01), "Wide angle: 50 years of the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods", The UNESCO Courier, vol. 2020, no. 4, pp. 5–8, doi:10.18356/202d3744-en, ISSN 2220-2293, retrieved 2025-07-02

[4] Alhadi A. Elakrimi, Abdurazag A. Shebli (2018-08), "Investigation of the Processing of Libyan Crude Oil Residues into Carbon Fibres", International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 147–158, doi:10.18178/ijcea.2018.9.4.716, ISSN 2010-0221, retrieved 2025-07-02 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[5] Muriel Verbeeck (2020), "Dan Hicks, The Brutish Museums. The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution", CeROArt, vol. 12, doi:10.4000/ceroart.8297, ISSN 1784-5092, retrieved 2025-07-02

[6] Robin P. Harris (2017-10-01), "Examining the Role of UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage", Storytelling in Siberia, University of Illinois Press, ISBN 978-0-252-04128-0, retrieved 2025-07-02

[7] UNESCO World Heritage Centre, In memoriam: Dr Henry Forrester Cleere (1926-2018) (in English), retrieved 2025-07-02

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