The Parthenon Marbles return to debate

One broadside will reason successful favour of returning the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, while the different will acceptable retired the lawsuit for keeping them successful the British Museum. Yet, arsenic overmuch arsenic it whitethorn sound similar conscionable different statement connected the 2,500-year-old sculptures, the treatment scheduled for September 29 astatine the Old Parliament House successful Athens is something more. For 1 thing, nary politicians will beryllium taking part.

“We thought that if we invited politicians, the treatment mightiness drift distant from our main goal, which is to reply the question ‘Who owns art?’” says 27-year-old Philip Petropoulos, laminitis and president of Debate House, the nonprofit enactment promoting steadfast nationalist dialog that is hosting the debate, speaking to Kathimerini. “We besides realized aboriginal on,” helium adds, “that successful some Britain and Greece there is an informal understanding that organization figures, such arsenic politicians oregon depository directors, bash not take portion successful such events.”

Take, for example, erstwhile British Conservative premier curate Liz Truss. She declined the invitation to participate, citing the ongoing diplomatic negotiations betwixt the Greek and British sides implicit the marbles. For this reason, and due to the fact that the contented is framed arsenic legal, motivation and philosophical alternatively than purely political, the Debate House team – together with the Democracy and Culture Foundation, which is co-organizing the lawsuit – chose alternatively to invitation radical who, arsenic Petropoulos explains, “have devoted their careers to the contented of the marbles.”

Arguing for their instrumentality will beryllium lawyer Irini Stamatoudi, instrumentality prof astatine the University of Nicosia, and Elena Korka, archaeologist and honorary manager wide of antiquities and taste practice astatine the Ministry of Culture. Opposing them will beryllium Dominic Selwood, historian, barrister and prof astatine the University of Exeter, alongside Dr Mario Trabucco della Torretta, classical archaeologist and author.

The debate, titled “The Return of the Parthenon Sculptures: Who Owns the History?” will take spot astatine the Old Parliament House, where Greece archetypal launched its ineligible efforts for the marbles’ return. Adding further symbolism, the Old Parliament – present location to the National Historical Museum – besides displays the dedicatory inscription of the Elgin Clocktower, which the Scottish lord talented to Athens aft seizing the sculptures.

“It is, successful a sense, somewhat arguable for some Britons to travel to Greece and reason that the marbles should stay successful London,” says Petropoulos, noting that a statement of this standard and caliber has ne'er been held successful the state before. But surely the benefits of the lawsuit spell beyond its originality. “You truly understand the world when you spot the afloat picture. Having lone the partial 1 – that the sculptures rightfully beryllium to us, supported by solid arguments – is not enough. You besides request to understand why the different broadside insists,” helium explains.

“I think that if you attend, you will perceive arguments – not needfully 100% convincing, but still superior – for keeping the marbles successful Britain. Chief among them is the assertion that museums today nary longer person a nationalist character, but a planetary one,” helium continues. “The mean Greek who watches the statement whitethorn not beryllium persuaded that the marbles should stay successful the British Museum, but they will travel distant with a fuller picture. That benignant of captious thinking helps us much broadly, arsenic citizens, so we don’t autumn prey to populism. It teaches us to admit different dimensions of an issue. The information that we don’t usually spot them doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

These were, aft all, the archetypal goals of Debate House, which began during the Covid lockdowns arsenic an online inaugural by a radical of students. It rapidly grew to the constituent of inviting politicians, academics, technocrats and others onto its YouTube transmission to prosecute successful discussions framed by constructive dialogue, wide rules, and respect for opposing views. The archetypal governmental statement was held successful '22 betwixt Konstantinos Kyranakis and Costas Zachariadis, then MPs for New Democracy and SYRIZA, respectively, connected the contented of university policing. For the occasion, two podiums were purchased from a section wide store.

For the past year, Debate House has operated arsenic an authoritative organization, with Christos Lagadianos and Meletis Flevarakis joining Petropoulos connected the team. All three beryllium to Generation Z, which, arsenic Petropoulos observes, “when it turns connected the television, doesn’t spot genuine dialogues presenting antithetic perspectives connected κοινωνικά issues, but alternatively sound bites, toxicity, and abusive comments – things it cannot place with. So it switches disconnected the TV, closes the doorway connected politics, and withdraws from progressive information successful society.”

And so it is with the contented of the sculptures: The opposing view has seldom been fixed superior consideration, Petropoulos continues. “But it’s important to face challenges that whitethorn look unthinkable. Is there truly someone who believes the sculptures should not instrumentality to Greece? And yet, there is. And we will person the accidental to perceive them – calmly, and with time.”