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There are 6 messages totaling 8582 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

 1. Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts (5)
 2. BBC History Magazine

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Date:    Tue, 30 Jul 2013 09:19:00 +0100
From:    msherwood <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

Amma, so why not contact the Uganda High Commissioner and suggest he ask for the return of these treasures?  (But is there a museum with space/facilities for them?)



Marika





From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Amma Poku
Sent: 29 July 2013 22:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts





The University of Oxford in UK has confirmed it is keeping 279 cultural artifacts that were taken from Bunyoro during the colonial period. The university, however, says it has no plans to send back the items since nobody has asked for them officially.



The curator and joint head of collections at Pitt Rivers Museum at the university, Jeremy Coote, confirmed in an email that they were keeping 279 items from Bunyoro. They include: Omukama Kabalega’s throne, vessels, ornaments, medical equipment and baskets. These items are in the “most important” category of collections at the museum.



“One of the most important areas of the museum’s collections from Uganda are materials from the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara, numbering 279 objects. The museum holds an eight-legged wooden stool (throne) that is said to have been used by Omukama Kabalega,” Coote said.



http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/645499-british-university-holds-onto-bunyoro-cultural-artifacts.html

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:25:54 +0200
From:    Susan Bolton / Jeffrey Green <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

A couple of points. Toro and Bunyoro are not the same place and have several distinctive differences.

The traditional leader of the latter has been to England and was shown historical cultural items at - I think - the British Library, for a friend has taken up the matter of identification and return of cultural items to that region and is closely associated with the traditional leadership.

You may recall Gus Casely Hayford's tv series on Africa, one programme of which was in Uganda, In that he went to the royal Bunyoro tombs near Masindi. (The Toro tombs are centred on Fort Portal)

Not that long ago, but before Gus's programme, the somewhat grander Baganda royal tombs at Kasubi near Kampala, which were a World Heritage Site, were destroyed in a fire. The buildings were from traditional materials of course. I took a photograph at Kasubi in the late 1960s and I attach it.

You can see images and obtain information about the three kingdoms by putting " name of kingdom ROYAL TOMBS" into your search engine.
Uganda is a republic and the national government's relations with the kingdoms has been one of difficulty, over the years.

Best wishes
Jeff Green



========================================
Message Received: Jul 30 2013, 09:19 AM
From: "msherwood"
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts


Amma, so why not contact the Uganda High Commissioner and suggest he ask for the return of these treasures? (But is there a museum with space/facilities for them?) Marika
From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Amma Poku
Sent: 29 July 2013 22:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

The University of Oxford in UK has confirmed it is keeping 279 cultural artifacts that were taken from Bunyoro during the colonial period. The university, however, says it has no plans to send back the items since nobody has asked for them officially.
The curator and joint head of collections at Pitt Rivers Museum at the university, Jeremy Coote, confirmed in an email that they were keeping 279 items from Bunyoro. They include: Omukama Kabalega’s throne, vessels, ornaments, medical equipment and baskets. These items are in the “most important” category of collections at the museum.
“One of the most important areas of the museum’s collections from Uganda are materials from the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara, numbering 279 objects. The museum holds an eight-legged wooden stool (throne) that is said to have been used by Omukama Kabalega,” Coote said.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/645499-british-university-holds-onto-bunyor

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:32:44 +0100
From:    msherwood <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: BBC History Magazine



Miracles do happen!  The August issue of the revised/reformatted magazine
has a number of articles of relevance to us.



The first is a 'The speech that America couldn't ignore', which, of course,
refers to Martin Luther King's speech in 1963. Some of you may not have
known that shortly after he commenced his speech, he abandoned the more
conciliatory speech he had prepared and spoke loudly and clearly of his
dream for the day  when people 'will not be judged for the color of their
skin but for the content of their character'. The article explores his
previous speeches and some of their sources, as well as what the author.
Robert Cook of Sussex University, calls the speech's 'ambiguous legacy'.
King went on to become much more radical - I was never surprised that he was
killed when he began to criticise America over the war in Vietnam.



The second article is The great British civil right scandal' by  Spencer
Niven, the production editor of the Magazine. This recounts the history of
the strike in Bristol  in 1963 about the refusal of the local bus company to
employ Black drivers/conductors. We are given a pretty full account of those
involved in the strike, including a picture of the Bristol university
students marching in support of the strike. There are quotations from
Memoirs of a Black Englishman, by Paul Stephenson, a local Black youth
worker, who did much to promote the strike. (I did not know of this book!)
Sadly, Mizen seems to be unaware of Madge Dresser's Black and White on the
Buses (1986)

Stephenson can be heard on the Magazine's weekly podcast:
www.historyextra.com/podcasts



The third article is Mark Ormrrod's 'Moving to medieval England', which
thoroughly disproved Maggie Thatcher's proclamation that 'we are homogeneous
anglo-saxons'. Examining existing records from the 15th century, Ormrod
found '20,000 named persons of foreign birth'.  He gives a website:
www.englandsimmigrants.com

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:36:47 +0000
From:    Kathleen Chater <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

Good point, Jeff.  As you so politely say "Uganda is a republic and the national government's relations with the kingdoms has been one of difficulty, over the years."  I'm a lot less polite and I know it's deeply politically incorrect to raise this point, but the artefacts are probably a lot safer where they are.   Before screaming the knee-jerk "racist" reaction, let's look at this.  There are all sorts of groups there - need I say more than the Lord's Resistance Army - who aren't much concerned with any history that doesn't validate their political/religious/social theories.  While the LRA has, largely, been driven out of Uganda and is busy destabilising other regions, this is only one of numerous organisations that are likely to have little interest in historical artefacts, or may actively want to destroy them at some time in the future.  Uganda is not politically or economically stable enough yet and to pretend that it is is not very intelligent. Marika is also right - are there the facilities to preserve and display them?

I know this is the same argument that was used about the Elgin marbles, but the parallel between Greece under a dictatorship with not enough economic resources to care for and preserve them is a similar example.

Whether British taxpayers should actually be paying to caretake world cultural resources is a different argument and maybe one we shouldn't raise with the current government....

Kathy

Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:25:54 +0200
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts
To: [log in to unmask]

A couple of points. Toro and Bunyoro are not the same place and have several distinctive differences.

The traditional leader of the latter has been to England and was shown historical cultural items at - I think - the British Library, for a friend has taken up the matter of identification and return of cultural items to that region and is closely associated with the traditional leadership.

You may recall Gus Casely Hayford's tv series on Africa, one programme of which was in Uganda, In that he went to the royal Bunyoro tombs near Masindi. (The Toro tombs are centred on Fort Portal)

Not that long ago, but before Gus's programme, the somewhat grander Baganda royal tombs at Kasubi near Kampala, which were a World Heritage Site, were destroyed in a fire. The buildings were from traditional materials of course. I took a photograph at Kasubi in the late 1960s and I attach it.

You can see images and obtain information about the three kingdoms by putting " name of kingdom ROYAL TOMBS" into your search engine.
Uganda is a republic and the national government's relations with the kingdoms has been one of difficulty, over the years.

Best wishes
Jeff Green


========================================
Message Received: Jul 30 2013, 09:19 AM
From: "msherwood"
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

Amma, so why not contact the Uganda High Commissioner and suggest he ask for the return of these treasures?  (But is there a museum with space/facilities for them?)  Marika   From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Amma Poku
Sent: 29 July 2013 22:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts  The University of Oxford in UK has confirmed it is keeping 279 cultural artifacts that were taken from Bunyoro during the colonial period. The university, however, says it has no plans to send back the items since nobody has asked for them officially.The curator and joint head of collections at Pitt Rivers Museum at the university, Jeremy Coote, confirmed in an email that they were keeping 279 items from Bunyoro. They include: Omukama Kabalega’s throne, vessels, ornaments, medical equipment and baskets. These items are in the “most important” category of collections at the museum.“One of the most important areas of the museum’s collections from Uganda are materials from the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara, numbering 279 objects. The museum holds an eight-legged wooden stool (throne) that is said to have been used by Omukama Kabalega,” Coote said.http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/645499-british-university-holds-onto-bunyoro-cultural-artifacts.html
                        

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 30 Jul 2013 15:26:59 +0200
From:    Susan Bolton / Jeffrey Green <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

My goodness, being told I am polite! Ta. Jeff





========================================
Message Received: Jul 30 2013, 12:36 PM
From: "Kathleen Chater"
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts


Good point, Jeff. As you so politely say "Uganda is a republic and the national government's relations with the kingdoms has been one of difficulty, over the years." I'm a lot less polite and I know it's deeply politically incorrect to raise this point, but the artefacts are probably a lot safer where they are. Before screaming the knee-jerk "racist" reaction, let's look at this. There are all sorts of groups there - need I say more than the Lord's Resistance Army - who aren't much concerned with any history that doesn't validate their political/religious/social theories. While the LRA has, largely, been driven out of Uganda and is busy destabilising other regions, this is only one of numerous organisations that are likely to have little interest in historical artefacts, or may actively want to destroy them at some time in the future. Uganda is not politically or economically stable enough yet and to pretend that it is is not very intelligent. Marika is also right - are there the facilities to preserve and display them?

I know this is the same argument that was used about the Elgin marbles, but the parallel between Greece under a dictatorship with not enough economic resources to care for and preserve them is a similar example.

Whether British taxpayers should actually be paying to caretake world cultural resources is a different argument and maybe one we shouldn't raise with the current government....

Kathy




Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:25:54 +0200
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts
To: [log in to unmask]

A couple of points. Toro and Bunyoro are not the same place and have several distinctive differences.

The traditional leader of the latter has been to England and was shown historical cultural items at - I think - the British Library, for a friend has taken up the matter of identification and return of cultural items to that region and is closely associated with the traditional leadership.

You may recall Gus Casely Hayford's tv series on Africa, one programme of which was in Uganda, In that he went to the royal Bunyoro tombs near Masindi. (The Toro tombs are centred on Fort Portal)

Not that long ago, but before Gus's programme, the somewhat grander Baganda royal tombs at Kasubi near Kampala, which were a World Heritage Site, were destroyed in a fire. The buildings were from traditional materials of course. I took a photograph at Kasubi in the late 1960s and I attach it.

You can see images and obtain information about the three kingdoms by putting " name of kingdom ROYAL TOMBS" into your search engine.
Uganda is a republic and the national government's relations with the kingdoms has been one of difficulty, over the years.

Best wishes
Jeff Green



========================================
Message Received: Jul 30 2013, 09:19 AM
From: "msherwood"
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts


Amma, so why not contact the Uganda High Commissioner and suggest he ask for the return of these treasures? (But is there a museum with space/facilities for them?) Marika
From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Amma Poku
Sent: 29 July 2013 22:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

The University of Oxford in UK has confirmed it is keeping 279 cultural artifacts that were taken from Bunyoro during the colonial period. The university, however, says it has no plans to send back the items since nobody has asked for them officially.
The curator and joint head of collections at Pitt Rivers Museum at the university, Jeremy Coote, confirmed in an email that they were keeping 279 items from Bunyoro. They include: Omukama Kabalega’s throne, vessels, ornaments, medical equipment and baskets. These items are in the “most important” category of collections at the museum.
“One of the most important areas of the museum’s collections from Uganda are materials from the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara, numbering 279 objects. The museum holds an eight-legged wooden stool (throne) that is said to have been used by Omukama Kabalega,” Coote said.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/645499-british-university-holds-onto-bunyor

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 30 Jul 2013 19:58:30 +0100
From:    Joanne Anthony <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

The following may be of related interest:

*
*
*"Archeology Collections of the Uganda National Museum: Preservation and
Commemoration of Our Cultural Heritage" by **
Jackline Nyiracyiza* [Conservator (History & Archeology), Department of
Museums & Monuments, P.O. Box 5718, Kampala-Uganda; email
[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask].] -* includes an overview of
Uganda's heritage management up until 2009.*
http://www.diaspora.illinois.edu/news0309/news0309-5.pdf

The campaigning papers of the *African Reparations Movement*, including
correspondence with UK museums re their holdings of African artefacts &
calls for their cultural repatriation (eg Benin bronzes campaign), can be
found within the *Bernie Grant Archive *held at the Bishopsgate Institute
Library <http://www.berniegrantarchive.org.uk/archive/accessing.asp>. You
can conduct an online archive search at:
http://www.berniegrantarchive.org.uk/archive/collection.asp

Out of interest, *Pitt Rivers Museum* was amongst those approached by
Bernie and the ARM.

Also, see the following article which *contests *some broader assumptions
"that the source nations of antiquities are unable to house and maintain
their own objects and that they need London to preserve their history and
heritage":
*The British Museum: An Imperial Museum in a Post-Imperial World, by Emily
Duthie** – Public History Review, *Vol 18 (2011). pp.12-25: *This article
examines the British Museum’s imperialist attitudes towards classical
heritage. Despite considerable pressure from foreign governments, the
museum has consistently refused to return art and antiquities that it
acquired under the aegis of empire. It is the contention of this article
that the British Museum remains an imperialist institution. The current
debates over the British Museum’s collections raise profound questions
about the relationship between museums and modern nation states and their
nationalist claims to ancient heritage. The museum’s inflexible response to
repatriation claims also encapsulates the challenges inherent in presenting
empire and its legacy to contemporary, post-imperial audiences.*
PS: *"The practice of plundering artifacts from their original setting is
sometimes referred to as ‘elginism’ because of the damage that Elgin
caused".*
****
*
*

*"If museums are to demonstrate that they have shaken off the colonial
mantle, they must address fully the issue of
repatriation. To have a blanket ‘no returns’ policy reflects a failure to
recognise or acknowledge the relevance of the
concepts of spiritual ownership, cultural patrimony and the cultural
importance of certain objects to cultures that
did not die out in the nineteenth century, as was expected." **
*
*Moira Simpson **[Making Representations: Museums in the Post-colonial Era,
2001]*

*NB: The op**inions exp**ressed here are my own and not those of my
employer.

*Kind regards
Joanne
(Former Bernie Grant Trust Archivist)


On 30 July 2013 11:25, Susan Bolton / Jeffrey Green <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

A couple of points. Toro and Bunyoro are not the same place and have

several distinctive differences.

The traditional leader of the latter has been to England and was shown

historical cultural items at - I think - the British Library, for a friend

has taken up the matter of identification and return of cultural items to

that region and is closely associated with the traditional leadership.

You may recall Gus Casely Hayford's tv series on Africa, one programme of

which was in Uganda, In that he went to the royal Bunyoro tombs near

Masindi. (The Toro tombs are centred on Fort Portal)

Not that long ago, but before Gus's programme, the somewhat grander

Baganda royal tombs at Kasubi near Kampala, which were a World Heritage

Site, were destroyed in a fire. The buildings were from traditional

materials of course. I took a photograph at Kasubi in the late 1960s and I

attach it.

You can see images and obtain information about the three kingdoms by

putting " *name of kingdom* ROYAL TOMBS" into your search engine.

Uganda is a republic and the national government's relations with the

kingdoms has been one of difficulty, over the years.

Best wishes

Jeff Green

========================================

Message Received: Jul 30 2013, 09:19 AM

From: "msherwood"

To: [log in to unmask]

Cc:

Subject: Re: Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

Amma, so why not contact the Uganda High Commissioner and suggest he ask

for the return of these treasures?  (But is there a museum with

space/facilities for them?)  Marika

*From:* The Black and Asian Studies Association [mailto:

[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Amma Poku

*Sent:* 29 July 2013 22:52

*To:* [log in to unmask]

*Subject:* Oxford university holds onto Ugandan cultural artifacts

The University of Oxford in UK has confirmed it is keeping 279 cultural

artifacts that were taken from Bunyoro during the colonial period. The

university, however, says it has no plans to send back the items since

nobody has asked for them officially.

The curator and joint head of collections at Pitt Rivers Museum at the

university, Jeremy Coote, confirmed in an email that they were keeping 279

items from Bunyoro. They include: Omukama Kabalega’s throne, vessels,

ornaments, medical equipment and baskets. These items are in the “most

important” category of collections at the museum.

“One of the most important areas of the museum’s collections from Uganda

are materials from the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara, numbering 279 objects.

The museum holds an eight-legged wooden stool (throne) that is said to have

been used by Omukama Kabalega,” Coote said.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/645499-british-university-holds-onto-bunyoro-cultural-artifacts.html

--

Joanne Anthony
Archivist
Archives & Special Collections
SOAS Library
SOAS, University of London
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG

Tel:  +44 (0)20 7898 4181
Fax: +44 (0)20 7898 4189

www.soas.ac.uk



--

Joanne Anthony
Archivist
Archives & Special Collections
SOAS Library
SOAS, University of London
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG

Tel:  +44 (0)20 7898 4181
Fax: +44 (0)20 7898 4189

www.soas.ac.uk



--

Joanne Anthony
Archivist
Archives & Special Collections
SOAS Library
SOAS, University of London
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG

Tel:  +44 (0)20 7898 4181
Fax: +44 (0)20 7898 4189

www.soas.ac.uk

------------------------------

End of BASA Digest - 29 Jul 2013 to 30 Jul 2013 (#2013-226)
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