On Saturday, January 27, there will be a special event at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. on Yemeni objects that will be eventually repatriated to Yemen. Details are here and below.
Description
Register on Eventbrite Free; registration required. This hybrid program will also be presented online with simultaneous Arabic translation. Register through Zoom
Schedule:10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Presentations and panel discussions 12:30–1:00 p.m., Viewing of the repatriated objects in gallery 22b, with Yemeni coffee and tea tasting by Qamaria Coffee
Description: The ongoing conflict in Yemen has left its cultural heritage under threat. Museums have been destroyed and looting of archaeological sites is rampant. Many of the looted objects are smuggled out of the country illegally and end up in the art market. This depletion of cultural artifacts is an erasure of Yemen’s cultural history. This public program aims to discuss the issues related to looting and the illegal selling of antiquities, highlighting the situation in Yemen. It will feature experts in the field of the protection of cultural heritage and present insights from government officials who will discuss the importance of forming collaborations among countries and organizations to prevent these activities and to preserve cultural heritage. The program has been developed in conjunction with the opening of the display of ten of the objects seized and repatriated in February and May of 2023 to the Republic of Yemen. At the request of the Republic of Yemen Government, these objects are being temporarily stored at the National Museum of Asian Art until it is deemed safe for them to return.This program is generously supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Speakers will include:
HE Muammar Al-Eryani, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Yemen*
HE Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the United States
Riyadh Bakarmom, General Manager of the General Organization of Antiquities and Museums (GOAM), Mukalla- Hadhramaut, Yemen*
Antonietta Catanzariti, Associate Curator for the Ancient Near East, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition
Steven Fagin, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Yemen*
Timothy A. Lenderking, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, U.S. Department of State
Robert Mancene, Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Department of Homeland Security
Chase Robinson, Director of the National Museum of Asian Art
Jérémie Schiettecatte, CNRS researcher and visiting scholar at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University