紐時賞析／反省殖民史 德國將歸還非洲文物

Germany Sets Out Plans to Return Benin Bronzes

反省殖民史 德將歸還非洲文物

Germany will begin returning a “substantial” number of the priceless artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes from its museums to Nigeria next year, its culture ministry said earlier this month.

德國文化部日前宣布，德國將於明年開始，把藏於各博物館、「為數可觀」且堪稱無價之寶的貝寧青銅器歸還奈及利亞。

The artifacts, which the British army looted in an 1897 raid on Benin City in what is now Nigeria, are scattered through museums and private collections around the world. Germany’s announcement, the first by a national government with a timetable attached, comes as momentum is growing on both sides of the Atlantic to return the stolen objects.

1897年英軍突襲今屬奈及利亞的貝寧城時掠奪了這些文物，目前散落在世界各地博物館與私人收藏家手中。德國做此宣布之際，大西洋兩岸歸還這些被竊取物品的力道正在增強。德國政府是第一個公布歸還時間表的國家政府。

An online meeting of government officials, regional legislators and museum administrators reached an agreement that German institutions —which own hundreds of the bronzes — would step up talks with Nigerian partners and strive to make the first returns next year.

政府官員、地方議員和博物館管理者在線上會議達成協議，擁有數百件青銅器的德國博物館將跟奈及利亞夥伴加速洽談，爭取在明年歸還首批文物。

“We are facing the historical and moral responsibility to bring Germany’s colonial past to light and to come to terms with it,” Monika Grütters, Germany’s culture minister, said in a news release. “Dealing with the Benin Bronzes is a touchstone.”

德國文化部長格呂特斯在新聞稿中表示，「我們面對揭露並接受德國殖民史的歷史與道德責任」，「處理貝寧青銅器是個試金石」。

The bronzes (which, despite the name, include items made from ivory, brass and wood) will probably be housed in the planned Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City, which architect David Adjaye is designing on behalf of the Legacy Restoration Trust, a group that represents Nigeria’s government, regional authorities and the royal court of Benin.

這些青銅器（雖名為青銅，卻包括以象牙、黃銅和木材所製器物）很可能會安置在計畫中的貝寧城埃多西非藝術博物館。該館由代表遺產修復信託基金會的建築師大衛·阿賈耶設計。該基金會代表奈及利亞政府、地方當局和貝寧王室。

The trust hopes to open the museum in 2025, although the timeline has already been pushed back several times.Victor Ehikhamenor, a trustee, welcomed the German announcement.“If this works, it will create a blueprint for others,” he said in a telephone interview.

雖已數次延後，基金會仍然希望博物館能在2025年啟用。基金會受託管理人維多·艾克哈曼諾對德國的宣布表示歡迎。他接受電話訪問時說：「此事若能成功，將為其他人提供一份藍圖。」

Germany will publish an inventory of all the Benin Bronzes in its museums by June 15. Details of those items’ provenance, including if they were looted, will be made available by the end of the year. However, Germany hopes some bronzes will remain in the country.

德國將在6月15日之前公布各博物館所有貝寧青銅器的庫存清單。有關物件來源的詳細資訊，包括是否掠奪而來，則於年底公布。不過，德國希望部分物件能留在德國。

Ehikhamenor said he had no problem with items being on display in Germany, as long as their legal ownership was transferred to the museum in Benin City.

艾克哈曼諾說，他對這些物件在德國展出沒有意見，只要合法所有權轉移到貝寧城的博物館。

Germans have long struggled to atone for the country’s Nazi past, but in recent years, the public debate has also shifted to examine Germany’s role as a colonial power in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. In 2019, Germany’s 16 regions, which are responsible for cultural policy, signed an agreement saying they would work toward returning artifacts taken from former colonies.

長期以來德國人一直致力為該國的納粹歷史贖罪，而近年公眾辯論也轉向審視德國在非洲、亞洲與太平洋地區作為殖民大國的角色。 2019年，負責文化政策的德國16邦簽署了一紙協議，宣示將戮力歸還取自前殖民地的文物。

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【陳韋廷】

歸還殖民地文物呼聲近年來在全球日漸高漲，德國則首開先河設下返還這些文物的時間表，盼能糾正歷史錯誤。文中用artifact指稱這些歷史文物，此字意為「人工製品、手工藝品」，根本含義是人為，並非天然形成，又relic亦指文物，強調的是從過去遺留下來之物品，但在英文中帶有明顯的宗教含義。此外，常聽到的文化遺產，英文則是cultural heritage。

bronze意指「青銅、青銅製品」，是由copper（銅）和tin（錫）製成的合金，人類歷史的青銅器時代，英文是bronze age。brass則指由銅跟zinc（鋅）組成的「黃銅」，另provenance表示「起源、出處」

此外，末段動詞片語atone for表示「為某事物贖罪、補償」，bring sth to light意指「揭露某事情」，come to term with sth為「面對、接受某事情」之意，step up則指「加速、增強」。

文／Alex Marshall 譯／陳韋廷、核稿／樂慧生