Museums and Cultural Heritage Protection: A Case Study of Repatriations to Yemen

  • Museums and Cultural Heritage Protection: A Case Study of Repatriations to Yemen Event Image

    Date

    Saturday, January 27, 2024
    10:00 am–1:00 pm

    Location

    Freer Gallery of Art
    Meyer Auditorium

Description

Register on Eventbrite
Free; registration required

This hybrid program will also be presented online with simultaneous Arabic translation. 
Register through Zoom

Schedule:
10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Presentations and panel discussions 
12:30–1:00 p.m., Viewing of the repatriated objects in gallery 22b, with Yemeni coffee and tea tasting by Qamaria Coffee 

Description:
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has left its cultural heritage under threat. Museums have been destroyed and looting of archaeological sites is rampant. Many of the looted objects are smuggled out of the country illegally and end up in the art market. This depletion of cultural artifacts is an erasure of Yemen’s cultural history.  

This public program aims to discuss the issues related to looting and the illegal selling of antiquities, highlighting the situation in Yemen. It will feature experts in the field of the protection of cultural heritage and present insights from government officials who will discuss the importance of forming collaborations among countries and organizations to prevent these activities and to preserve cultural heritage. 

The program has been developed in conjunction with the opening of the display of ten of the objects seized and repatriated in February and May of 2023 to the Republic of Yemen. At the request of the Republic of Yemen Government, these objects are being temporarily stored at the National Museum of Asian Art until it is deemed safe for them to return.

This program is generously supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York. 

*Presenting via Zoom 

Categories

Gallery Talks & Tours, Lectures & Discussions