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Critics say that/the real reason the British Museum refuses to return the Rapa Nui’s Lost Friend/is quite different.
Hoa Hakananai’a is not the only artwork/that was taken without permission. The British Museum got many of its artworks/during the colonial period/(the late 16th through the early 20th century). The list includes the Parthenon Marbles from Greece,/the Rosetta Stone from Egypt,/and the Benin Bronzes from present-day Nigeria. And then/there are some 23,000 Chinese artworks. The owners are asking for the return/of their stolen treasures. If the museum returns the Lost Friend,/it would set a precedent.
Museums all over the world/face similar problems. Who is the rightful owner of works of art/that are hundreds or even thousands of years old? These works are now part of our priceless world heritage. And even if the rightful owners can be found,/can they be trusted to keep these works safe? One can argue/that great art belongs to the entire world/and should be displayed/where it can be safely viewed/by the largest number of people.
However,/for the Rapa Nui people,/these questions are less important/than the simple human desire/to bring home their lost family member,/their Lost Friend.
Critics say that/the real reason the British Museum refuses to return the Rapa Nui’s Lost Friend/is quite different.
Hoa Hakananai’a is not the only artwork/that was taken without permission. The British Museum got many of its artworks/during the colonial period/(the late 16th through the early 20th century). The list includes the Parthenon Marbles from Greece,/the Rosetta Stone from Egypt,/and the Benin Bronzes from present-day Nigeria. And then/there are some 23,000 Chinese artworks. The owners are asking for the return/of their stolen treasures. If the museum returns the Lost Friend,/it would set a precedent.
Museums all over the world/face similar problems. Who is the rightful owner of works of art/that are hundreds or even thousands of years old? These works are now part of our priceless world heritage. And even if the rightful owners can be found,/can they be trusted to keep these works safe? One can argue/that great art belongs to the entire world/and should be displayed/where it can be safely viewed/by the largest number of people.
However,/for the Rapa Nui people,/these questions are less important/than the simple human desire/to bring home their lost family member,/their Lost Friend.