Comments on: Musee Guimet controversy

By: William A. Dexter

William A. Dexter — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:02:47 +0000

I am interested in contacting persons in your country, involved with the study of Fossils and other areas of Paleontology. I am very willing to share my studies and research with others in this discipline! Thank you, William A. Dexter PhD
Retired Professor of Geology. (University of Texas.)

By: R Sulayman

R Sulayman — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 07:58:13 +0000

I was watching a talk show in the television on Guimet Controversy and thought to view the web page of Guimet. I visited instantly the site, and shocked seeing the images of the Himalyan region. Few days back, I bought a book from Kathmandu written by Lain Singh Bangdel (He was a student of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin in Kolkata Art College in 1938-42), entitled ‘Stolen Images of Nepal.’ I found minimum 2 images are looking alike what Bangdel ji mentioned as stolen.

The history of Guimet was based on unique artifacts mostly from Asia. Most of them are collected from the thieves. Mr. Guimet was a traveller. He collected some pieces from India & the Himalayas. He bought some pieces, and rest got as gift (what a joke!). The site mentioned this ridiculous information.

I had a chance to visit Paris in last August 07. I was recommended to visit some museums & historic places of Paris, as the house of poet Appoloniere, Sorbon University, Bertrand Russell’s coffee shop & others. Its shocking that none of my friends told me to visit Guimet. Its not at all a worthy place to Paris Elites.

Its also shocking that all the DGs of National Museum were not competent. Most of them were slogan-doer of parties in power. They show salutations to the white skinned foreigners. An artist-cum-DG were in the power when the package of Guimet came to Bangladesh. He played a pivotal role to sign this agreement. Our artist in Paris Shahabuddin even doesn’t know about this mockery.

The artifacts of Bangladesh belong to the generations to come. Its not for the present nor of the past. So, we must do the needfuls to preserve those. Its not a French envoy to give us lessons how to take care of our assets. Its not a duty of some known faces of our society, who always advocate for the foreign nations.

Thanks to the care taker government, at least they have felt the public sentiment. Guiemt has cancelled the show. Now we want back rest of our artifacts.

By: Imran

Imran — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 18:41:31 +0000

The government officials involved in this transaction to send the artifacts to this “private” & c”controversial” French museum should be thoroughly investigated. We need to find out “why” they were so eager to make this deal and pushed so hard to move the artifacts abroad even after concerned citizens of the country cried foul. I believe that there was an “other” motive to do so by the government officials involved. The Cultural Affairs Adviser, instead of talking big like he would take the blame & may resign, should find out what these Bangladesh officials were after.

Amazing to see how less our own officials care for our own treasures!

By: Iftheker Mohammad

Iftheker Mohammad — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:14:34 +0000

Shame on La France, Shame on CTG

By: Dr. Zaman Mozumder

Dr. Zaman Mozumder — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:07:31 +0000

I have some knowledge of French Museums and I have visited many of them many times. I have great appreciation of their collection. Many people call me a Francophile. But I am absolutely devastated by the news of artifact lost at the ZIA airport at Dhaka. The statues lost are literally priceless.

I am also saddened by the fact that at one point of time I was also a Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. I do not have information other than those available in news media and television. I think the whole matter was treated casually from the GOB side and they did not understand what they were dealing with. The nation will have to search their soul why and how the whole thing had happened. The nearly national mourning on the loss of Vishnu murti yet again show the secular psyche of Muslim majority Bangladesh.

Let us hope that the heritage statues of Bangladesh will be recovered soon.

By: Iftheker Mohammad

Iftheker Mohammad — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 19:34:42 +0000

They are the thieves, the traitors. Why Supreme Court has given a stay order on High Court rule? That makes a room to those thieves to smuggle out priceless archaeological treasures of Bangladesh. A phrase in Bengali , “Chorer maaer boro gola.” The official French comment on this issue is noting but hypocrisy. We demand the withdrawal of that France embassy official and resignations of responsible adviser of the ministry concerned.

By: Pathik Nabi

Pathik Nabi — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:30:49 +0000

This caretaker government has failed miserably. The French government also cannot shed itself of its responsibility in the theft since it had actively pressed for clandestine passage of the valuables by Air France. The CTG was so deep into this conspiracy that it had arranged the secretive operation on our holy Eid day. The outgoing French ambassador and the foreign advisor of the unconstitutional military-backed junta should immediately be fired and taken into custody for interrogation by the joint interrogation cell and Interpol. There is definitely something sinister about this fiasco. All including the French and Bangladeshi high-ups must have received huge kickbacks from global museum piece robbers and dacoits who have links and agents working under international agencies, embassies and NGOs to steal precious priceless historic relics from poor countries. This crime syndicate must be busted as it has creeped it’s way into the caretaker setup in Bangladesh. After this incident, I have developed strong distaste and disgust for anything French. To me the French have disgraced and insulted our culture and heritage. It is unpardonable.

By: bala

bala — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:40:22 +0000

Akash,
I see at least one sane voice.
I though all bangalis has become insane.
I saw shishir’s name there. I knew Shaheedul alam and his great work with Drik.
Even my friend Nayeem Mohaimen seems to be joining the crowd. After His so many years in NY and I am sure watching Inca and Egyptian exhibitions in NY. Even he is in the crowd !!!
Did Mr. Shaheedul got pissed off that the museum people didn’t show him enough respect.
You can’t get personal, if you are doing a journalistic work.
Should have a thicker skin.

By: Akash

Akash — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:41:11 +0000

I am sorry that I find the reactions of some of the cultural elites of Dhaka, as well as the quasi-journalistic fray of well-known photographer Shahidul Alam, rather questionable. Mr. Alam’s “touching story” is patchy and emotional but strays far from the powerful nature of such exhibitions at major museum sites, ah well, in Europe and US. It is true many European museums in the past have been involved in illegal acquisitions of artifacts, but I cannot say that is so say at present times. One cannot also deny the powerful impacts of such museum exhibitions. Witness the “Festival of India” that Indira Gandhi sponsored all over the world for a new reception of Indian culture. I for one would look forward to an exhibition of arts from Bangladesh, something no major museum has carried out anywhere in the world. There have been enough exhibitions with artifacts from Indian museums. About ten years ago, an exhibition on Mexican artifacts at the Met in New York city drew over capacity crowd. Yes, we should be concerned about our own artifacts (don’t even know what that means as most of them lie in deep storage, and the scholarly product of our historians is dismal), about how these objects are lent out, about their return when they are lent, but to behave with such quasi-nationalist virulence really works against various ways of cultural representations of the nation.

Anyway, here is the announcement of the exhibition at Guimet (and Guimet is not a sad museum as Mr. Alam makes it out to be):

http://www.museeguimet.fr/masterpieces-of-gange-delta