Culture Minister Dalila Rodriguez guaranteed on Wednesday that no cultural property had been found that had been “illegally appropriated” and that any decision to return it would be taken without imposing conditions.
At a parliamentary hearing on Chegi’s request for the possible return of works of art to former Portuguese colonies, Dalila Rodrigues said that an inventory would be made of the cultural goods confiscated from the National Museum of Ethnology (MNE), the museum where most of the cultural goods of this type are kept.
According to the minister, the MNE has 14,685 relevant cultural assets, “all of which are documented very superficially”, and that it is necessary to conduct a “rigorous and in-depth” inventory with the participation of universities and educational centers.
“Making a list is an act of cataloguing. We have this list, we know which goods came from the former colonies and which are mostly in the National Museum of Ethnology. (…) The return of misappropriated goods leads us to the fact that it is extremely important to carry out investigative missions,” said Dalila Rodriguez.
For the Minister of Culture, the National Museum of Ethnology is “the centre of discussions” and the inventory will begin as soon as “the conditions for the mobilisation of universities and educational centres” exist.
“To date, studies conducted in terms of appropriation have not revealed any cultural property that could be returned,” he said.
Dalila Rodrigues, who took office in April, along with Culture Minister Maria de Lourdes Craveiro, also announced that a request had also been sent to museums, monuments and protected palaces to obtain information on the cultural assets of the ancient Portuguese colonies.
Regarding the possibility of returning cultural property to its countries of origin, especially in the context of former colonies, the Minister of Culture stated that “reception conditions cannot be imposed if there are works to be returned.”
“We cannot impose conditions for restitution. This is a form of paternalism. (…) We can and should create missions, campaigns of cooperation in heritage education, carry out conservation and restoration activities in the countries where the assets come from, exhibitions,” he said.
Culture Minister Dalila Rodrigues is being heard in Parliament today on the possible return of assets to former Portuguese colonies, as well as the dismissals and appointments of those responsible for cultural heritage.
The hearings before the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Communication, Youth and Sports are the first for Dalila Rodrigues as Minister of Culture since taking office in April and are the result of two requests submitted in May by Chega and PS.
On May 18, International Museum Day, Dalila Rodrigues, now Minister of Culture, told reporters that “if there are any cultural assets that have been wrongfully appropriated from an ethical point of view,” the Portuguese must “proceed to return them,” and ensured that the government works in a cooperative manner.
In April, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said the country must lead the process of accepting and eliminating the consequences of the colonial period, and offered debt forgiveness, cooperation and financing as examples.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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