Europe’s museums are stuffed with imperial plunder
歐洲的博物館塞滿了帝國的掠奪物
Nov 8th 2021
由“戰利品：英國及貝寧青銅器”(“LOOT: BRITAIN AND THE BENIN BRONZES”)一書作者，BARNABY PHILLIPS 撰文
In an act of contrition for crimes committed during the colonial era, German museums are expected to return some of their Benin bronzes to Nigeria in 2022.
在對殖民地時代期間，犯下之罪行的一項懺悔行動中。德國博物館預計，於2022年，將其某些貝寧青銅器歸還奈及利亞共和國。
The bronzes are the thousands of metal castings and ivory sculptures that were taken from the west African kingdom of Benin (today in southern Nigeria, and not to be confused with the neighbouring Republic of Benin) by British troops in 1897.
此些青銅器是1897年，英國軍隊從西非貝寧王國(位於今天奈及利亞共和國南部，不要與鄰近的貝寧共和國混淆)帶走的數千件金屬鑄造物及象牙雕刻品。
They have become emblematic of the increasingly charged debate over colonial loot in Western museums and private collections.
它們已經成為爭論，有關在西方博物館及私人收藏中，殖民地時代之戰利品，日益遭指責的象徵。
Their fame derives both from their exquisite craftsmanship—when they arrived in Europe, critics compared them to objects from ancient Greece or Renaissance Italy—and from the brutal manner in which they were removed by the British from the palace in Benin City.
它們的名聲源自其精湛的工藝(當它們抵達歐洲時，評論家們將它們比作，來自古希臘或意大利文藝復興時期的物品)，及英國人將它們從貝寧城之宮殿中，被移走的粗暴方式。
There are more than a thousand Benin bronzes in Germany (curators bought loot from the expedition on the open market), and museums in several German cities have taken a collective decision to start the process of giving them back to Nigeria.
在德國有1千多件貝寧青銅器(於公開市場上，館長們購買了來自逺征隊的戰利品)，於德國幾個城市的博物館中，已經採取一項，開始將其歸還奈及利亞之進程的集體決定。
They have been encouraged by the government, as well as a broad consensus among the main political parties. Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar, says ownership must be transferred to his country with no precondition.
除了主要政黨之間的廣泛共識外，他們業已受到政府的鼓勵。奈及利亞駐德國大使，Yusuf Tuggar表示，必須無先決條件，將所有權轉移到他的國家。
網址：https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2021/11/08/western-museums-are-starting-to-return-colonial-era-treasures?utm_campaign=coronavirus-special-edition&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud&utm_term=2022-01-01&utm_content=best-of-article-link-8&etear=nl_special_8
翻譯：許東榮
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