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This is the British Museum.
这是大英博物馆。
It's the world's largest world history museum and it draws millions of visitors every year.
世界上最大的世界历史博物馆，每年吸引的游客数量数不胜数。
Inside, it holds more than 8 million cultural and historical artifacts from all over the world which cover 2 million years of human history.
里面收藏着800多万件来自世界各地的文化历史文物，涉及的人类史跨度长达200万年。
If you follow the museum's recommended list of "Don't Miss" items, you'll see its star pieces.
如果你照着他们给出的“不容错过”推荐列表进行参观，你就会看到他们的各种明星展品。
Like this Easter Island sculpture that's about a thousand years old.
比如这座已有近千年历史的复活节岛雕塑。
Or this bronze sculpture of the Hindu God Shiva.
或者这座印度教湿婆的青铜雕塑。
But there's a problem hidden in the museum, and we can see an example of it along this route.
不过，这座博物馆隐藏着一个问题，沿着这条参观线路我们就能看到一个有关的例证。
Out of those 12 pieces, nearly half have disputed ownership.
在这12件藏品中，有将近一半的藏品都存在所有权争议。
The British Museum claims those pieces belong there, on display for the world to see.
大英博物馆声称这些文物都属于他们所有，但可以供全世界游客参观。
But in recent years, many have been fighting to get them back to where they came from.
然而，近年来，很多人开始各种努力，试图让这些文物回到它们原来的地方。
"The list of disputed museum treasures keeps on growing."
“有争议的博物馆珍宝名单还在继续增加。”
"Should cultural artifacts be returned to their home countries or be left in western museums?"
“那些文物是应该归还给它们的祖国呢？还是应该留在西方的博物馆里呢？”
"The subject of intense debate as to who should now own them."
“文物的所属问题引发了激烈的讨论。”
Let's start with some context.
我们先从这件事的背景说起。
In the late 1600s, the British Empire began expanding across several continents.
17世纪末，大英帝国开始在各个大洲扩张。
It became the largest empire in history, controlling about a quarter of the world's land and population.
随后就成为了历史上最大的帝国，控制了世界约1/4的土地和人口。
During its centuries-long rule, the empire took precious resources and wealth from countries all around the world,
在其长达数百年的统治期间，大英帝国从世界各国夺来了很多宝贵的资源和财富，
including thousands of cultural and historical artifacts.
包括数以千计的文化产品和历史文物。
Many of which ended up here, in the British Museum which was founded in 1753
很多东西最后都来到了这里——1753年成立的大英博物馆，
and kept growing to accommodate all the new pieces in its collection.
为了容纳新增的藏品，大英博物馆一直在扩建。
Lots of the items in the museum were legally acquired and are completely undisputed, like this one.
该博物馆的很多藏品都是通过合法途径获取的，完全没有任何争议，就比如这件。
A 2,000 year old roman vase sold to the museum by a Duke in 1945.
一个有着2000年历史的罗马花瓶，它是1945年一位公爵卖给大英博物馆的。
The problem is with the pieces that are disputed.
问题就出在有争议的那些藏品身上。
Like the first item you see as soon as you walk in.
就比如大家一进大英博物馆大门看见的这第一件藏品。
The Rosetta Stone, taken by British troops from the French in what is now Egypt.
一块罗塞塔石碑，它是英国军队从法国人手中夺来的，地点是在现在的埃及。
Or further in, the Parthenon Sculptures.
又或者再往里一点的帕台农神庙雕塑。
Removed from the acropolis in Athens by a British Lord, and sent to the British Museum.
这是某英国勋爵从雅典卫城搬走，然后送到大英博物馆的。
Or, over here.
还有这边。
On the floor dedicated to African Art.
这一层都是非洲艺术品。
The Benin Bronzes.
这些贝宁铜牌。
Some of the most contentious items in the museum.
它们算得上是大英博物馆里最具争议的藏品之一。
The Benin Bronzes are kind of hard to categorize, because they include such a huge range of items.
贝宁铜牌是很难归类的，因为这些铜牌有各种各样的形态。
From engraved ivory tusks to brass sculptures to plaques.
有象牙雕刻，有黄铜雕塑，也有饰板。
But they were all produced here, in the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria.
但它们都是这个地方生产的，当今的尼日利亚，曾经的贝宁王国。
This wealthy and industrious kingdom produced thousands of objects and art pieces starting in the 1500s.
从16世纪开始，这个富裕而勤劳的王国生产了数以千计的物品和艺术品。
A lot of the items adorned palace walls and were used for religious rituals.
很多都用作了宫墙装饰或用在了宗教仪式上。
But they weren't just decorative.
但它们不仅仅是装饰品。
"They were visual archives of the kingdom in a society that did not develop written script as we know them."
“它们还是王国的可视档案，因为据我们所知，这个地方是没有文字的。”
That's Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu, an art historian and professor from Nigeria who teaches at Princeton University.
这位是在普林斯顿大学任教的尼日利亚艺术历史学家兼教授Chika Okeke-Agulu。
"They told their history, how they narrated the histories of kingship of the kingdom.
“那是他们讲述历史的方式，是他们讲述这个王国的王权的历史的方式。
Its political and social life."
所以那上面刻画的是他们的政治生活和社会生活。”
But in 1897, Benin would lose thousands of these cultural pieces.
然而，他们没料到，到了1897年，贝宁将失去数千件这样的文物。
At the time, European colonial powers were expanding south, in what was called the "Scramble for Africa".
当时，欧洲殖民列强正在向南扩张，就是所谓的“争夺非洲”那段时间。
They split up the continent into spheres of influence for financial exploitation.
他们将非洲划分成一个又一个势力范围，方便他们进行金融剥削。
All these pink areas were the British ones.
所有这些粉色的区域都是英国的。
Benin, over here, was in Britain's sphere of influence.
贝宁，也就是这里，就恰好位于英国的势力范围之内。
But the kingdom didn't comply with Britain's trade demands.
不过，贝宁王国并没有答应英国的贸易要求。
And in January of 1897, it led to what was called the Benin Disaster.
于是，1897年1月，“贝宁灾难”爆发了。
Where Benin guards killed seven British emissaries, plus their many guides and servants.
当时，贝宁警卫杀死了七名英国使者，还有许多向导和仆人。
In response, 1,200 British troops embarked on a mission called the "Benin Punitive Expedition".
随后，1200名英国士兵开始执行一项名为“贝宁惩罚性远征”的任务。
The British wanted revenge, but the mission was about more than just that.
英国人想要复仇，但这项任务并不仅仅是为了复仇。
"There were reports of these vast treasures in the palace of the king of Benin,
“有报道称，贝宁国王的宫殿里有各种各样的宝藏，
and that if they could retrieve these treasures, sales from it could offset the cost of the invasion.
如果英军能找到这些宝藏，把它们买了，就能抵消入侵的成本。
This was all well planned.
一切都是他们精心策划好的。
And so the punitive expedition, in other words, was also an economic enterprise."
所以，惩罚性的探险，换句话说，也是一次经济创业吧。”
The British soldiers armed with machine guns conquered the city and burned it to the ground.
手持机关枪的英国士兵占领了这座城市，将其夷为平地。
But not before carefully taking thousands of artifacts.
然而，在夷为平地之前，他们已经小心翼翼地搬走了数千件文物。
They piled them up neatly, photographed them and even labeled them "loot".
他们把那些文物码放地整整齐齐，还拍了照，甚至还给它们贴上了“战利品”的标签。
This photo, taken at the Benin palace after the raid,
这张他们突袭后在贝宁王宫前拍摄的照片里除了有士兵，
shows soldiers with the dismantled plaques that were brought to the British Museum, and sold all over the world.
还有很多很多被拆下来的饰板，它们最终都被运到了大英博物馆或被销往世界各地。
And after hundreds of years, the once prosperous kingdom was gone.
几百年后，这个曾经繁荣的王国消失了。
The region fell under full British colonial control until 1960,
王国所在的地区彻底沦入英国殖民统治之下，直到1960年，
when Nigeria, including the City of Benin, gained independence.
尼日利亚，包括贝宁市，获得了独立。
But even though they were finally free, their historical artifacts were still spread all over the world.
然而，即便他们终于获得了自由，他们的历史文物依然散落在世界各地。
Locked up in western institutions, like the Leipzig Museum of Ethnology in Germany and the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.
被锁在西方的各个机构里，比如德国的莱比锡民族学博物馆，巴黎的奎布兰利博物馆。
And, of course, the British Museum.
当然，还有大英博物馆。
"1995. In London. That was my first time seeing an original ancient Benin artwork.
“1995年，在伦敦。那是我第一次看到贝宁古代艺术品的真品。
Yes. At the British Museum.
没错，是在大英博物馆看到的。
Being in the presence of these magnificent objects
站在那些壮观的文物面前，
and knowing that I had to travel all the way from Nigeria to see these objects for the first time.
先到我要从尼日利亚千里迢迢地跑过来才能看到那些文物。
It was a mixture of pride at the achievement of these ancient artists.
我的心里是五味杂陈，既自豪，自豪它们是我们的古代艺术品。
And anger.
又愤怒。
Mixed with a sense of loss, at what could have been if I only had to travel a few hundred miles.
还夹杂着一种失落感，假如我只需走个几百英里就能看到那些文物又会是怎么样呢？
But at this point, you're limited to those privileged like me,
还只有我这样条件比较优越，
who could get a visa to travel all the way from Nigeria to England to encounter these objects.
能够拿到签证，从尼日利亚大老远过来英国的尼日利亚人才能看到那些文物。
Most Nigerians will never see them."
大多数尼日利亚人一辈子都看不到。”
In March 2000, Benin's royal family tried to change that.
2000年3月，贝宁王室试图改变这一现状。
They officially requested "all cultural property illegally taken… be returned to the rightful owner."
他们正式要求“所有被非法夺走的文化财产……归还给合法的所有者。”
But for the most part the British Museum has ignored any requests.
然而，大英博物馆很大程度上都无视了他们所有的要求。
The museum is restricted by a government act that prevents it from returning objects.
大英博物馆受到了一项政府法案的约束，该法案禁止大英博物馆归还文物。
But it has also made its stance clear.
但博物馆方面也表明了自己的立场。
In July of 2020, the British Museum told Vox:
2020年7月，大英博物馆告诉VOX：
"We don't restitute, but we are absolutely committed to lending as widely as possible, including to Nigeria.
“归还我们是不会归还的，但我们一定会尽可能地外借，包括借给尼日利亚。
The Museum's foundational value resides in its breadth, scale, complexity, and unity, and as such is a true library of the world."
大英博物馆的基础价值就在于我们的藏品的广度、规模、复杂性和统一性，只有这样，我们才算是一家真正的世界图书馆。”
Chika doesn't see it that way.
Chika却并不这么看。
"The British Museum still behaves like a colonial museum.
“大英博物馆现在还跟个殖民博物馆一样。
You cannot claim to be...an encyclopedic collector of stolen objects."
自己给自己封个什么……百科全书式的被盗文物收藏馆算怎么回事啊。”
But some are starting to reckon with this history.
不过，有一部分人已经开始正视这段历史了。
In 2014, the grandson of this British soldier from the 1897 Benin Expedition,
2014年，1897年贝宁远征行动的一名英国士兵的孙子，
returned these two items he inherited to the Benin royal family.
就把他继承的这两件文物归还给了贝宁王室。
And in 2007, the Benin Dialogue Group was formed.
2007年，贝宁对话小组成立。
Western museums and the Nigerian government have been discussing solutions ever since.
自那以后，西方博物馆和尼日利亚政府一直在讨论文物归还问题的解决方案。
But as of today, none of their Bronzes have been returned.
遗憾的是，迄今为止，他们的铜牌还一件都没有得到归还。
But this is just one story.
这还只是故事之一。
This legacy is bigger than the Benin Bronzes.
大英博物馆里的争议文物远不止贝宁铜牌。
There are hundreds of similarly contested objects in the British Museum,
大英博物馆里有数百件类似充满争议的文物，
with their own rich histories — and with original owners trying to retrieve them.
每一件都有丰富的历史——每一件文物的原主都在想办法找回它们。
But the problem is even bigger than the British Museum.
问题是，这个问题比大英博物馆还要庞大。
It's a legacy of centuries of colonial power that repeats itself again and again.
它是几个世纪以来，一波又一波的殖民强权留下的历史遗留问题。
With different artifacts, in different museums.
于是，不同的文物，流落到了不同的博物馆里。
Because these requests aren't just about items,
因为归还文物的要求不仅仅涉及文物本身，
they are also about cultural and historical identity and who gets to own it.
还涉及这些文物的文化历史身份，以及谁才是它们的主人。
"This is a long-term project.
他说：“这是一项长期工程。
It may last beyond my own lifetime.
可能会一直持续到我离开这个世界。
But the point is that it's now to start the process.
但重点是，我们现在就应该动工了。
We cannot wait any longer for a next generation to even begin the necessary task and project of cultural reconstitution."
我们不能等到下一代再……不能等着让他们来启动文化重建这一工程的基础工作。”
