There's now an application to trace the origin of artefacts on display at the British Museum. The platform was reportedly developed by a Chinese student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In a video now going viral on social media, the creator, using the app, says, “Inspired by the idea of returning the British Museum's collections to their lands of origin, I developed this application. It features nearly 5,000 artefacts hailing from 99 different countries."
“You can view these items displayed as cards, standing proudly in their true homelands: effectively blanketing the entire globe with points of cultural light.”
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Notable examples the speaker cites are Egypt's Rosetta Stone and Eye of Horus. For Chinese artefacts, he refers to the works by Gu Kaizhi, a renowned painter during the early Eastern Jin Dynasty of China. Many Indian artifacts are also there in the British Museum.
“I have also incorporated an animation feature that visualises the timeline of when each artefact was acquired by the British Museum; naturally, a simple tap of the ‘Home' button allows you to watch them return to their respective native lands.”
“This is not merely a cold, data-driven project; behind every glowing point lies a story of separation from home. My hope is that, through this medium, more people will come to discover and remember these invaluable national treasures,” the narrator concludes.
The post generated reactions. One user remarked, “Amazing, just had a thought how he collected and linked all that data.”
“They looted the world and enslaved millions. Now, many from those lands loot the British and destroy their country from within,” wrote another user.
The British Museum also became a target of memes.
Some defended the keeping of such artefacts in the British Museum instead of their countries of origin.
“I prefer artefacts to be in the British Museum rather than anywhere else. Most non-Westerners don't care about their past; basically, all archaeological digs in Africa and the Middle East are done by Westerners. If the locals get their hands onto something, they sell it on the black market or destroy it,” wrote one person.
“Yes. We are very fortunate to have such unprecedented access to so many of the world's historical treasures - particularly given how many would have vanished if left in situ,” said another account.
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