via Hyperallergic, 06 September 2022: Art Crime professor Erin Thompson argues why looted statues should return to Cambodia and not stay in museums like The Met.
Many of the sculptures Cambodia now wants returned also passed through Latchford’s hands. But, you might ask, what about preservation? Will the sculptures be repatriated only to crumble away from neglect? If you visit the temples, you will see Cambodian workers performing the constant, careful tasks required to keep the sites from disappearing under dirt and vegetation. Workers float in small boats in the moats surrounding the temple walls, pulling up the weeds that threaten to choke them. They sweep floors and dust sculptures. Archeological and engineering experts monitor and stabilize the architecture.
Cambodians aren’t just motivated to preserve their heritage out of national pride or appreciation for its aesthetic or spiritual qualities. They also know that preservation is financially necessary to keep tourism revenues, which reached almost $5 billion in 2019, flowing. Many Cambodians make their living from these visitors: guiding them, staffing hotels, and cooking food and selling souvenirs at the sites.
In the dark, economically desperate days under the Khmer Rouge, some Cambodians were unable to resist the money offered by Latchford and others to loot the temples. But for decades now, tourism has allowed Cambodians to resume their role as guardians of the sites, continuing a tradition that kept them undisturbed for centuries. Now, the biggest temptation to potential thieves is probably the sight of galleries like the Metropolitan’s, which demonstrate that foreigners can still buy, sell, and donate Cambodia’s cultural heritage with little fear of prosecution.
Source: Cambodia’s Stolen Treasures Must Be Returned to Where They Belong
