Riaan Amamabula e-Parthenon ahlala endaweni British Museum qhubeka nokubamba inkundla yenkulumompikiswano eqhubekayo mayelana nokubuyiselwa kobuciko. Ngemuva kwemibiko yochungechunge lwemihlangano “eyimfihlo” mayelana nezithombe eziqoshiwe, uhulumeni wase-UK ukuqinisekisile ukuthi ngeke kube noshintsho lomthetho ukuze kube lula ukubuyela kwabo eGreece.
Enziwe phakathi kuka-447 no-432 BC ngaphansi kokuqondisa komqophi uPhidias nabasizi bakhe, amamabula eqoqweni leBritish Museum akhonjiswa kugalari eyenziwe ngokukhethekile yaseDuveen, eke yahlobisa iParthenon phezulu kwe-Athens’ Acropolis. Aqukethe ama-metopes angu-15 (amaphaneli okusiza abaziwe), izibalo zezinyawo ezingu-17 kanye namafidi angu-247 wefrieze yasekuqaleni. Le mifanekiso eqoshiwe ibonisa izigcawu ezihlaba umxhwele zempi nodwendwe lwemikhosi, kanye nonkulunkulu behlezi phansi.
Sekukonke, iqoqo leBritish Museum lenza ingxenye yezithombe eziqoshiwe zaseParthenon.
U-Leto, u-Arthemisi kanye no-Aphrodite abavela endaweni esempumalanga ye-Parthenon.
(VCG Wilson/Corbis nge-Getty Images)
NgoMgqibelo, iphephandaba laseGreece i-Ta Nea lidalule ukuthi kusukela ngoNovemba 2021, usihlalo weBritish Museum, uGeorge Osborne, ubambe uchungechunge lwezingxoxo “eziyimfihlo” mayelana nokubuyiswa kwemabula nabantu abadala. Izikhulu zikahulumeni waseGreece, okuhlanganisa noNdunankulu uKyriakos Mitsotakis. Umhlangano wakamuva phakathi kukaMitsotakis no-Osborne ubungesonto eledlule kanti abangaphakathi bathi izingxoxo “zisesigabeni esithuthukisiwe.”
IGreece ibilokhu imile kwelokuthi amamabula ebiwe futhi ikhankasela ukubuyiselwa kwawo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, iBritish Museum, kanye nohulumeni wase-UK, iye yalivikela ilungelo layo lokuba nazo nokuyibonisa.
Impikiswano yizenzo zikaLord Elgin, inxusa laseBrithani eMbusweni Wase-Ottoman ekuqaleni kwekhulu le-19. Ngemva kokunikezwa imvume, u-Elgin wasusa izithombe eziqoshiwe futhi kamuva wazithengisa kuhulumeni waseBrithani ngo-1816.
Izenzo zika-Elgin zaphenywa yiKomidi Elikhethiwe LePhalamende ngo-1816 futhi zatholakala zisemthethweni ngokuphelele, ngaphambi kokuba izithombe eziqoshiwe zingene ekuqoqweni kweBritish Museum ngoMthetho wePhalamende. Kusukela lapho, izimpikiswano eziphikisana nokuba semthethweni kwezenzo zika-Elgin ziye zagxila emvumeni yokuqala – okungukuthi, ukuthi ngabe ama-Ottoman agunyaza ngokuqondile ukususwa kwezithombe nokuthi ayenegunya yini kwasekuqaleni.
Ingxenye ye-metope ebonisa impi phakathi kwama-Centaurs nama-Lapiths.
(Izithombe ze-GraphicaArtis/Getty)
IZINHLAMVU ZEGOLIDE ZE-CELTIC EZbiwe EMYUziyamu YaseJalimane NGE-SUNNING HEIST
Uhulumeni waseGreece wenza isicelo sawo sokuqala esisemthethweni emashumini eminyaka adlule, kodwa ngokokuqala ngqá eminyakeni eminingi, ukuhlangana kabusha kwezimabula zeParthenon eMnyuziyamu wase-Acropolis oklanywe ngokukhethekile wase-Athens kubukeka njengento engenzeka ngempela.
Emcimbini obuseLondon School of Economics ngesonto eledlule, uMitsotakis wachaza ukuthi kunenqubekela phambili eyenziwayo ukuze kube “isixazululo sokuwina” kulezi zinhlangothi zombili. “Ngiyawuzwa umfutho,” kwengeza uMitsotakis.
Umkhulumeli kaNdunankulu wase-UK uRishi Sunak utshele izintatheli ukuthi nakuba abaphathiswa bekhululekile ukukhuluma nanoma ubani abamfunayo, uhulumeni wase-UK “akanazinhlelo zokushintsha umthetho, ovimbela ukukhipha izinto eqoqweni leBritish Museum ngaphandle kwezimo ezithile.”
Ngaphansi koMthetho Wemnyuziyamu wango-1963 waseBrithani, izinto zingasuswa kuphela uma “ziyizimpinda” noma uma “into ingafanelekile ukugcinwa kumaqoqo eMuseum futhi ingalahlwa ngaphandle kokulimaza izintshisekelo zabafundi.”
I-frieze eyenza ingxenye “ye-Elgin Marbles.”
(UGraham Barclay, BWP Media/Getty Images)
IBritish Museum iphendule le mibiko esitatimendeni sangoMsombuluko.
“Sifuna ubudlelwano obusha obuhle, besikhathi eside namazwe nemiphakathi emhlabeni jikelele, futhi lokho kufaka phakathi iGreece,” kusho.
I-Museum isahlose ukusebenza ngaphakathi komthetho, ichaza ukuthi ngeke ihlakaze iqoqo layo “njengoba ixoxa indaba eyingqayizivele yobuntu bethu obuvamile.”
CHOFOZA LAPHA UKUZE UTHOLA UHLELO LOKUSEBENZA IZINDABA
Ukuvumelana kwakungabona amamabula okwabelwana phakathi kwamazwe amabili.
Kodwa-ke, owayenguNobhala Wezamasiko e-UK uBen Bradshaw uchazele uTa Nea: “Angicabangi ukuthi kukhona umuntu ocabanga ukuthi uma amamabula ebuyela emuva. [to Athens] ngeke babuyele emuva unomphela.”
