Keeping the promise: Emmanuel Comino’s decades-long struggle reunite the Parthenon Sculptures

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At 92, Emmanuel Comino continues a lifelong ngo that defined him, the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. Decades ago, helium made a committedness to Greece’s precocious Culture Minister Melina Mercouri — a committedness that remains unbroken.

Last week successful Athens, Comino travelled again for what helium calls “the ineffable cause,” joining an assembly of planetary advocates for the Sculptures astatine a special gathering with President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tassoulas and Culture Minister Lina Mendoni (who is owed to visit Australia soon). The assembly brought together leaders from nationalist committees crossed the world who champion Greece’s telephone for the instrumentality of its stolen heritage.

President Tassoulas praised the efforts of these committees and said they had shifted planetary nationalist sentiment successful favour of Greece’s claim.

“Your initiatives and your advocacy person created a very favourable existent of nationalist sentiment for our vision,” helium told them. He singled retired the value of influencing sentiment successful the United Kingdom, describing it arsenic “one of the cardinal conditions for the success of our goal.”

“Sooner oregon aboriginal the Acropolis Museum — described arsenic a depository successful waiting — will person this tremendous motion from the United Kingdom, the instrumentality of the Sculptures. Reunification is not a substance of victory oregon defeat. No 1 will suffer if they are returned, due to the fact that this petition concerns the planetary taste assemblage and is ultimately universal,” Tassoulas said.

The struggle

The assembly successful Athens was portion of ongoing efforts by the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures (IARPS), which brings together 20 nationalist committees from 18 countries. Comino is the Association’s vice-president.

At the meeting, the Greek President outlined Greece’s readiness to person the Sculptures, highlighting the Acropolis Museum’s “world-class facilities and Greece’s decades-long concern successful the preservation of the Acropolis monuments.”

Tassoulas reiterated Greece’s willingness to collaborate with the British Museum, done rotating exhibitions and loans, to guarantee Hellenic practice is exhibited.

“Reunification is ultimately a substance of taste justice,” President Tassoulas told the attendees.

A idiosyncratic journey

For Comino, the combat is personal. Born successful Rockhampton, Australia, successful 1933 to Kytherian migrants, his aboriginal beingness was marked by adversity. At the property of four, his parent died. The pursuing year, his begetter took him and his member to Greece for a vacation — but World War Two broke retired and they were forced to stay successful Kythera for 9 years earlier returning to Sydney.

After working crossed various trades, Comino opened an security bureau successful 1965. His archetypal brushwood with the Parthenon came successful 1976 connected a visit to Greece.

“I retrieve the infinitesimal clearly,” helium recalls successful fluent Greek. “I was overwhelmed and I instantly understood the harm [Lord] Elgin had done,” Comino said.

Elgin hacked disconnected the Parthenon Sculptures betwixt 1801 and 1812 with the acquiescence of the Ottoman assemblage powers, which occupied Greece for 400 years until 1821. Elgin then transported the Sculptures from Athens to England. On the way, 1 vessel sank with sections of the Sculptures.

The Parthenon Sculptures stay to this day, successful acheronian and dank British Museum torn from Athens’ airy their past home. The Sculptures, besides often referred to arsenic the ‘Parthenon Marbles’ became the lodestar for a planetary question by post-colonial nations and Indigenous peoples to repatriate artefacts taken by Britain and different European powers during the tallness of modern European imperialism successful the 19th century.

“Having visited each the European museums lodging Greek past artefacts and treasures, I resolved to prosecute their reunification,” said Comino.

Five years later, Comino founded the Australian Committee for the Restitution of the Marbles. That was 10 days earlier the famed histrion and activistic Melina Mercouri took bureau arsenic Greece’s caller Culture Minister when the Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) won the 1981 elections. Comino instantly sent Mercouri his committee’s charter and pledged to articulation her successful a coordinated planetary campaign.

Recalling their archetypal meeting, Comino said helium was astatine a reception successful Sydney for Mercouri, who was visiting, and approached the authoritative accompanying her and handed him his letter.

“Melina [Mercouri] work it, her look lit up. She crossed the room, embraced maine and said, ‘My boy, ne'er stop warring for the Marbles.’ I replied, ‘I will combat until Britain sends them back, oregon until the time I die.’ We stayed successful touch until her death.”

Ceaseless planetary campaign

For much than 40 years, Comino has travelled extensively, giving speeches, lobbying politicians, and rallying support from Greek communities worldwide. In 2002, Australian Prime Minister John Howard wrote that the Parthenon Sculptures “are an irreplaceable portion of Greek practice and identity,” and aboriginal raised the contented with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Comino’s passionateness remains undiminished astatine 92. “Only when the Sculptures are reunited successful the Acropolis Museum will they uncover the afloat story,” Comino said.

For Comino, the origin is not conscionable astir marble oregon art, it is astir intangible taste practice and supra all, “keeping a promise”.

“I promised Melina [Mercouri], and I will proceed to combat for this origin until the time comes.”