Repatriation of the Nefertiti Bust

The bust of Nefertiti should be returned to the possession of the Egyptians because the Germans acquired it illegally. The bust left the Egyptian territory under false identity, which makes it a stolen object. An artifact or any archaeological object made or excavated within a given country has very important links with the culture of that country. Therefore, stealing this objects is acting against the rights of the citizens of that country. It is therefore illegal for Germany to continue possessing this artifact and using it for their own benefits when in actual sense it belongs to Egypt. The Egyptian Antiquities Authority, which was then headed by the French archaeologists, may have sanctioned the export of the Nefertiti. This therefore begs the question, were they acting in the interest of the Egyptians or the West? Since Egyptians could not enact their laws quickly, the authorities concerned with artifacts and archaeological objects developed their own laws which favored the European countries. The laws on division of artifacts made it possible for the European countries to have equal share with the Egyptians. This clearly shows why the Egyptians need justice to prevail. To add on that, in 1913, the responsibility of dividing these artifacts was given to a Frenchman by the name Gustave Lefebvre who allowed the Germans to have and transport the artifact to their homeland and was displayed in Berlin museum from 1923. Being in possession of an object illegally is one thing, but using it as a tourist attraction is an insult to the genuine owners. The Nefertiti bust obviously means something to the Egyptians and should therefore be repatriated.

Reference

Bearden, Lauren (2012) "Repatriating the Bust of Nefertiti: A Critical Perspective on Cultural Ownership," The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2 : Is. 1 , Article 2.