Netherland agrees to return colonial collections to Indonesia and Sri Lanka

The Netherlands will restore 478 culturally significant items to Indonesia and Sri Lanka upon request from the two countries.

“The objects were wrongfully brought to the Netherlands during the colonial period, acquired under duress or by looting,” a statement issued by the Netherlands Government noted.

The decision to return them was made by Secretary of State for Culture and Media Gunay Uslu, following the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Return of Cultural Objects from Colonial Context, chaired by Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You. 

The works are currently in the collections of the National Museum of World Cultures and the Rijksmuseum.

“This is a historic moment,” said the State Secretary. “It’s the first time we are following recommendations of the Committee to give back objects that should never have been brought to the Netherlands. But more than anything, it is a moment to look to the future. We are not only returning objects; we are also embarking on a period of closer cooperation with Indonesia and Sri Lanka in areas like collection research, presentation and exchanges between museums,” he added.

The objects include the Lombok treasure (from Indonesia) and the Canon of Kandy (from Sri Lanka). The transfer of ownership to Indonesia will take place at the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden on 10 July. The transfer of ownership to Sri Lanka will take place later this year. As these examples show, the process of returning objects is well under way. 

The Advisory Committee on the Return of Cultural Objects from Colonial Context is now considering further requests from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nigeria and will issue its recommendations on these requests later. Joint research with the countries of origin is a central part of the process.

Sri Lanka requested the Netherlands to return six objects that were stolen from the country and are now in the custody of the Rijksmuseum. Researchers from both countries studied the provenance of these objects extensively. The return process forms the basis for further cooperation between the two countries and the cultural institutions concerned. The Netherlands and Sri Lanka will remain in dialogue to develop this cooperation further.