Session 1: Communities at the heart of the Process of Return and Restitution of Cultural Property

This session will concentrate on the vital role that communities play in the return and restitution of cultural property. It will emphasize the importance of community involvement in making the restitution process both ethical and meaningful. The discussio n will feature case studies to highlight how community engagement has been pivotal in successful restitution efforts. Additionally, the session will tackle the challenges and identify good practices in incorporating communities into the decision making pro cess, challenges and facilitating the return of cultural property.

Through the presentation of the object biography of Ganesha, a Singosari statue that was repatriated in 2023, Dr Boonstra demonstrates that the meanings of objects shift in accordance with the context in which they“live.” Ganesha transforms from a deity in an East Javanese temple into a museum object in the Netherlands. Museums need to stay up to date with society to create meaningful lives for repatriated objects.

Sadiah moderated two panels for the talk. First, Environment: The Role of Creative Practitioners in Addressing Environmental Issues in conversation with Moe Satt (MMR), Samnang Khvay (KHM), Uudam (VNM), and Melia Winata (IDN). The second panel, Sadiah moderated Copyright: Ethical Concerns and Copyright Issues in the Creative Industry, in conversation with Aoura Lovenson (IDN), Helianti Hilman (IDN), Kin-Wah Chow (SGP), and Jaekyu Lee (KOR).

In this talk Dr Boonstra reflect on the continuities and change in discourses of return in the context of Indonesia and the Netherlands. It provides historical context for current mechanisms and points to the fact that discourses of return in Indonesia show a continuation but that the relationship between Indonesian and institutions in the Netherlands has changed significantly.

Sadiah Boonstra's interview with CNN Indonesia on August 6 2023.

The interview is at 13.30 - 17.05 minutes.