"Would
the Afghan people want the statues to be reconstructed?" I asked.
"Mr.
Bucherer," Weber said, "...asked the Afghan interim government
'which would you prefer with this money, thirty new bridges or the Buddha
statues?' They overwhelmingly wanted the statues. It's a symbolic thing
that they have opened up their country and have reinstalled an open society."
I
asked, "there is an argument over whether the statues should actually
be reconstructed. Some even say it would be tacky. What are your thoughts?"
|
Archeological site of Hadda, where Mustamandy and team excavated the famous 'Fish Porch.'
|
"I
am very familiar with these arguments. My fantasy for the reconstruction
was triggered by Abu Simbel, a huge Egyptian temple built by Rameses II
that was moved to higher ground when the high dam was being constructed
in the nineteen-sixties." He added, "this move was supported
by the international community. It is proof that you can reconstruct something
old (and still maintain its integrity.)"
Washington
D.C.
I
caught up with Ellen Herscher, an archaeologist with the Archaeological
Institute of America. Herscher's perspective is important, because of
her work in war-torn Cyprus, whose complexities in war-time excavation
rival that of Afghanistan. Herscher specializes in pottery of the Cypriot
bronze era, and volunteers with the American Institute of Archaeology,
an educational association which seeks to curb the illicit trade of artifacts
through U.S. law, international agreements, public education, and ethical
acquisition policies for museums.
I
asked Ellen what could be done to help curb the illicit trade of Afghan
works. "the most important first step," she said, "would
be to put in place emergency import restrictions under the Cultural Property
Implementing Act. This would permit the seizure of any Afghan artifacts
that were being brought into the U.S. without proper documentation."
Herscher
showed me that the case for collecting the artifacts and returning them
to Afghanistan is demonstrated by an important case between the U.S. Government
and Frederick Schultz, a well respected art dealer and former president
of their association. He was charged with conspiring to sell ancient objects
out of Egypt in violation of a 1983 Egyptian law which states that all
newly acquired antiquities belong to the government of Egypt.
The U.S., under pressure to respect third-world countries' need to keep
their own cultural heritage, has accused Schultz of willingly trafficking
stolen property from Egypt, and creating fake labels to make the pieces
look like they had been collected from Egypt before 1983. He has been
convicted of, among other things, inventing a mysterious Englishman who
collected and sold the works in the 1920's. This Mr. Thomas Alcock, in
fact was proven to never have existed.
)
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