A delegation from the Netherlands, led by the State Secretary for Culture and Media, Gunay Uslu, has arrived in Sri Lanka to oversee the signing of two important legal documents pertaining to the transfer of ownership of artifacts that will be returned to Sri Lanka this year.
The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has announced that the "Transference of Acknowledgement" and "Loan Agreement" will be signed with the Dutch delegation at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow (August 28). The signing ceremony will take place at the ministry.
The ministry has confirmed that six historical objects, which are currently part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in the Netherlands, have been identified as belonging to Sri Lanka. These objects include Lewke's cannon, Golden Kasthane, Silver Kasthane, Sinhalese Knife, and Two Guns.
In 2021, the Dutch government approved a policy for the return of cultural heritage objects held by the Dutch State. The Dutch government recognizes the historical injustice suffered by indigenous populations in colonial territories due to the involuntary loss of objects that formed part of their cultural heritage. As a result, the Dutch government is committed to rectifying this historic injustice by returning cultural heritage objects to their countries of origin and fostering international cooperation in this regard.
The official delegation, which will be in Sri Lanka from August 27 to 31, includes Barbera Wolfensberger, Director General Culture and Media in the Netherlands; Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You, Chairperson of the Dutch Colonial Collections Committee; and Dr. Alicia Schrikker, a Committee Member.
