The Netherlands Returns Hundreds of Cultural Artifacts to Indonesia

Europe|The Netherlands Returns Hundreds of Cultural Artifacts to Indonesia

The Dutch authorities returned centuries-old chromatic Buddhist statues, a bejeweled serpentine armband and different looted artifacts to its erstwhile colony Indonesia connected Friday, a uncommon illustration of taste objects taken during colonialism making their measurement backmost home.

The Netherlands returned 288 items successful a ceremonial astatine nan World Museum successful Amsterdam, wherever nan artifacts had been held. The repatriation is only nan 2nd by nan Dutch since a 2020 report by a authorities advisory committee recommended returning creation and different objects taken during 4 hundreds of years of nan country’s assemblage era.

The study was portion of nan Netherlands reckoning pinch that legacy and engagement successful slavery. The state was returning “objects that should ne'er person been successful nan Netherlands,” Eppo Bruins, nan curate of education, civilization and science, said successful a statement.

The speech shows an evolving restitution process, aft respective erstwhile assemblage powers successful Europe pledged to return prized humanities objects to countries successful Africa, Asia and South America. Countries for illustration France and Belgium, which person thousands of specified treasures successful nationalist collections, have moved slowly, however, hindered by nan arduous activity of identifying, tracing and returning nan often delicate objects.