Looting Britain’s museums is no way to right past wrongs

Britain’s museums are the envy of the world. Nowhere is it possible to find such a wide range of artefacts from such a variety of cultures. They are a precious inheritance from our forebears and one which should be zealously guarded for our children.

Today, this inheritance is at risk of being dismantled. Across the country, carefully assembled collections are being chipped away at, with integral parts sent overseas under the mantle of “decolonisation”. Little scrutiny is applied to the logic of this process.

In January, the Victoria & Albert Museum and British Museum agreed to “lend” back 32 objects originating from the Asante royal court to the current Asante ruler. Despite the return of objects being restricted by statute, the framing of this as a “loan” allowed the museums to circumvent the relevant legislation, denying the Commons its say.

It has now emerged that, as this paper warned at the time, there is little prospect of their return. The current Asante ruler is said to be optimistic that an incoming Labour government will change the law to gift him the objects. Alternatively, the V&A could simply extend the loan indefinitely.

The history of the world is a history of conflict. Advocates of repatriation do not in fact wish for everything to be restored to its place of origin. They have no interest in the conflicts which raged within West Africa, or indeed with the repatriation of artefacts taken from Britain in earlier periods. Their concern is wholly partial, and driven by guilt at what they see as a uniquely monstrous Western historical legacy.

Tacitly allowing the pillaging of our museums under the mistaken belief that they are correct is little short of a scandal.