I think it's dumb to request the British museum to return priceless 'stolen' artifacts when they were mainly gained by digging through rubble and abandoned sites anyway. And the countries that are requesting these items back lack the stability to ensure their safety and preservation. Yes, even Egypt is unsafe. As evidenced by their revolution where the Egyptian National museum was robbed, some artifacts stolen, and ancient grave sites pilfered in the last decade. Suffice to say that this situation is much worse for a lot of African countries. Is it culturally appropriate to keep these items? No, not really. But when the alternative is possible destruction, I would rather they keep them and piss everyone off.
I think it's dumb to request the British museum to return priceless 'stolen' artifacts when they were mainly gained by digging through rubble and abandoned sites anyway. And the countries that are requesting these items back lack the stability to ensure their safety and preservation. Yes, even Egypt is unsafe. As evidenced by their revolution where the Egyptian National museum was robbed, some artifacts stolen, and ancient grave sites pilfered in the last decade. Suffice to say that this situation is much worse for a lot of African countries. Is it culturally appropriate to keep these items? No, not really. But when the alternative is possible destruction, I would rather they keep them and piss everyone off.