Britain is considering introducing entry fees for international tourists visiting some of England’s most renowned national museums, a proposal that has drawn sharp criticism from restitution groups and countries while disputed artefacts remain on display.
Free admission to the UK’s national museums and galleries was initially established in 2001 by then-Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, with the aim of making culture more accessible to all. However, the government announced last month that it would work with the museum sector to explore the potential benefits of charging overseas visitors, including how this could support the arts. An update on this consultation is expected before the end of the year.
This proposal is facing significant backlash amid growing worldwide calls for artefacts to be returned to their communities or countries of origin. Despite some efforts to confront this long-standing issue, numerous artefacts and human remains taken during the colonial era are still held in various museums across Europe. Prominent examples of long-standing claims against the British Museum include Greece’s Parthenon Sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles, and Nigeria’s Benin Bronzes.
The British Museum has previously stated that the strength of its collection lies in enabling millions of visitors to understand the world’s cultures and how they are interconnected.
Ghana, which has some of its regalia and other artefacts in British institutions, said charging foreign visitors to view such objects raises issues of “fairness”, particularly where restitution discussions remain ongoing, foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told Reuters.
The proposal, if implemented, would be “unethical”, said Eric Phillips, vice chair of the Caribbean Community’s reparations commission, a bloc of 15 member states including Jamaica and Barbados.
“Why should we have to pay to see our heritage?,” Phillips said.
Arley Gill, chairman of Grenada’s national reparations committee, said the priority should be to return the artefacts to their “rightful owners”.
Open Restitution Africa (ORA) said Africans and others already face barriers to accessing artefacts taken from their countries and held in Western museums, including visa requirements and travel costs.
“Introducing entry fees further compounds these inequalities,” ORA said.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-based non-profit Restitution Study Group said a fee exemption for such visitors would be a “meaningful gesture”.
The government declined to comment on the criticism.