 | 1997-98 "The fight against illicit traffic of cultural property " | | | 18 May 1997 International Museum Day provides the opportunity to promote the role of the museum vis-à-vis the public. The theme of International Museum Day 1997 was Fighting Against the Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property. The activities related to this theme are presented below. Organised by National Committees from all over the world, these activities show that illicit traffic in cultural property has become an international concern. We hope that they will inspire you to celebrate International Museum Day 1998. | Algeria
The diskette of the poster was sent to museums throughout the country. Argentina
The National Committee of Argentina in collaboration with the Museo Histórico del Banco de Buenos Aires organised a day of conferences on the illicit traffic in cultural property and the preservation of cultural heritage. Azerbaijan
The National Committee organised an exposition, Culture in the Heat of the Battle, which focused on the destruction of cultural property during the war. Barbados
To commemorate the anniversary of International Museum Day, the National Committee offered the public a day of free entry to museums. The Barbados Museum held a special exhibition on the fight against illicit traffic and the need for legislation for the protection of cultural heritage. The National Library Service organised an exhibition on the preservation of the oral traditions of Barbados. Belgium
In October 1997, the Open University of Brussels held a conference entitled The Theft of Artwork: an Analysis. For the month of December the National Committee organised a day of conferences on museum security and two seminars at the Universities of Namur and Liège devoted to raising students' awareness of the problem of illicit traffic. During the conference on security, a motion was tabled for the ratification of the UNESCO and UNIDROIT Conventions. ICOM-Walloon-Brussels and ICOM-Switzerland are in the process of writing a handbook for museum guards. In addition, the National Committee is preparing a colloquium on the economics of illicit traffic in cultural property. Brazil
Throughout the year, the Heritage Institute organised discussions on the protection of cultural property. Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands National Museum organised an exhibition on the international and local legislation that protect the Cayman Islands' cultural heritage. The museum focused on the ways in which the general public can help protectcultural resources by leaving archaeological finds in place, donating artefacts to the museum, and volunteering to work on archaeological digs and in the conservation laboratory. The National Museum is particularly concerned with the protection of historical shipwreck sites and is working with the government to develop stronger laws to protect them. China
An announcement was jointly issued by the State Bureau of Cultural Relics of China, the Chinese National Committee and the Chinese Society of Museums calling for a nation-wide celebration of 1997 International Museum Day with the theme Fighting Against the Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property. An introductory article on the theme of illicit traffic, prepared by the Secretariat of ICOM China was published in the Chinese Museum Newsletter. More than 6,500 copies of this article were sent to the organisations and museums concerned. The National Committee participated in the ICOM Secretariat's poster project, distributing more than 40,000 to all Chinese provinces and cities. Radio Beijing's Educational Programme interviewed ICOM China and Beijing Museum Association on the theme of International Museum Day. The General Director of the State Bureau of Cultural Relics wrote an article on illicit traffic for the Chinese Cultural Relics Newspaper. Colombia
The Instituto Colombiano de Cultura and the Museo Nacional de Colombia published the ICOM Code of Professional Ethics with the financial assistance of the Fondo Financiero de Proyectos de Desarrollo. The publication was presented to the public on International Museum Day. 6,600 copies were distributed without charge to museums and cultural institutions throughout the country as well as to the public libraries of Colombia. The Code of Ethics was also put on the Internet for the month of July. Costa Rica
A day of discussions on illicit traffic was organised at the Centro Nacional de Cultura with the participation of students and the Minister of Education. The text of the 1970 UNESCO Convention was distributed during the discussions. These events were given extensive coverage by both press and television. Croatia
International Museum Day was organised by the Museum Documentation Centre of Zagreb, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration for the Protection of Cultural and National Heritage. A letter was issued to the museums of Croatia on the importance of fighting against the illicit traffic in cultural property. The City Museum of Koprivnica and the Museum of Slavonija organised discussions on the security of cultural heritage and the Natural History Museum of Rijeka organised an exhibition in the store windows of the city on traffic in natural and cultural property. These activities were covered by the press. Unfortunately, International Museum Day was marked by the theft of 23 paintings from the Ilok Museum. Cyprus
The National Committee organised at the Nicosia Museum an important photographic exhibition of objects stolen from the Cypriot heritage. Documentation on the theft of these works and the ICOM Code of Professional Ethics were distributed to the public. Czech Republic
The J.A. Comenius Museum inaugurated an exhibition entitled Bagpipes in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia documenting the useful and beneficial exchange of cultural property as a counterpoint to the theme of illicit traffic. Twenty-seven institutions from all over the country collaborated to organise this exhibition. Ecuador
Museum personnel and ICOM members participated in a series of discussions organised by the National Committee on the theme of illicit traffic. Finland
The National Committee participated in the ICOM Secretariat's poster project and chose to illustrate the type of objet that is protected by Finnish legislation. France
The National Committee participated in the ICOM Secretariat's poster project and chose to illustrate a Eucharist box from the treasure of the abbey of Grandmont, stolen on the night of December 31, 1980 at the Musée de l'Evêché in Limoges. Greece
An evening of conferences on the theme of illicit traffic was organised at the Society of Archaeologists. The daily Kathimerini published, in collaboration with the National Committee, a special issue on the illicit traffic in cultural property throughout the world. A brochure was published on the restitution of the Mycenean treasure of Aidonia. Italy
The National Committee organised a day of conferences on Ecuador's permanent loan of a collection of archaeological objects to the Museo delle Culture Extraeuropee in Rimini. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
A conference entitled The Fight Against the Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property was organised at the Museum of Natural History of Skopje. During this conference the Ministry of the Interior, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Property, Customs, and museum personnel presented different aspects of the problem. Madagascar
The National Committee participated in the ICOM poster project and chose to illustrate a Mijoa funerary statuette that was plundered from tombs in the west of Madagascar and returned in October 1995 with the help of ICOM. Mexico
The National Committee organised a round table and a series of conferences on illicit traffic. Jorge Sánchez Cordero gave a conference entitled The Rome Convention: An Alternative for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Morocco
The National Committee devoted a special issue of its news bulletin on the illicit traffic in cultural property in Morocco. The Archaeological Museum in Rabat exhibited photographic documents representing archaeological objects and excavation sites. Nigeria
The National Committee participated in the ICOM Secretariat's poster project and chose to illustrate a terracotta head stolen from the National Museum of Ile Ife in November 1994. Peru
The National Committee organised, in collaboration with other institutions, an exhibition on the illicit traffic of cultural property at the Ricardo Palma Miraflores Cultural Centre. María Ofelia Cerro Moral, a member of Congress, presented a bill concerning the protection of cultural heritage. The poster proposed by ICOM was made into the cover of a leaflet containing information on illicit traffic. The subject was widely covered by the press. Poland
The National Committee organised a meeting with Polish museum professionals on the illicit traffic in cultural property. In October the ICFA (the International Committee of Fine Arts) held its annual meeting in Poznan on the art market and illegal traffic in Eastern European countries. Saint Kitts and Nevis
A brochure, "Protecting our Cultural Property," was distributed to every museum visitor. Senegal
The West African Museums Programme wrote a press release on the threats facing Africa's cultural heritage. Seychelles
An exhibition was organised at the Museum of Natural History on the protection of cultural heritage and the role of the museum in this area. South Africa
The National Monuments Council (NMC) developed new law proposals for the protection of cultural heritage in accordance with the principles of the ICOM Code of Professional Ethics. The South African Heritage Agency (SAHA), which will soon replace the NMC, is in the process of creating a register of objects belonging to South Africa's cultural heritage. It will be illegal to export objects included in this register without permission from SAHA. Spain
With the support of the Caja Foundation in Grenada the Jaen Provincial Museum organised an exhibition on stolen objects and a series of conferences with the participation of the Guardia Civil on the protection of cultural heritage. Sri Lanka
The National Committee organised a seminar on the illicit traffic in cultural property with the participation of customs officers and different museum departments. Swaziland
The Swaziland National Museum, under the auspices of the Swaziland National Trust Commission, successfully hosted a workshop with police and customs officers on the illicit traffic in cultural property. Presentations were given on the role of AFRICOM, the disappearance of indigenous plants, and the national museum as a guardian of cultural property. As part of the workshop, an exhibition on illicit traffic was held in the museum and a guided tour was conducted to give the participants a clear picture of the types of objects that are threatened. Sweden
The National Committee devoted its annual meeting on October 17, 1997 to a debate on the theme at the Ethnographic Museum of Stockholm. Tunisia
An exhibition was organised on the protection of cultural heritage and the means of fighting against its pillage at the Bardo National Museum. Uruguay
The National Committee organised a colloquium on the theme.
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