THE return of the priceless artefacts to their country of origin, Bangladesh, is no doubt an occasion to exult. We are happy that all the 42 pieces of supreme intrinsic value taken in a cultural exchange programme to the Paris-based Guimet Museum have come back in good condition on Saturday. And we take the occasion to thank the French government for sending them back to Bangladesh as per schedule.
Exchange of relics like paintings, touchstone, black stone statues, wood carvings and terracotta items is a common practice among countries of the world. These timeless relics, dating back to thousand years, provide rare glimpses of the unique and rich cultural heritage of a country. And such programmes help enhance friendship between two countries and educate people of one country about the cultural history of another. No doubt, it is in the same light, the Guimet Museum authorities had given the offer to put some of the relics of Bangladesh on display for their visitors. Bangladesh government had responded in good faith but unfortunately, right from the beginning, because of unprofessional handling of the entire programme and subsequent theft of some items at Zia International Airport, people were dismayed over lack of transparency and demanded a ban on such exchange programme.
The arrival of all the artefacts will have put everything behind now and we hope the ties between Bangladesh and France remain as friendly as ever. It however needs to be said that we may agree to similar offer from a museum overseas in future but our advice to the authorities concerned would be to involve all relevant quarters to remove any trace of ambiguity about any contract signed. We take great pride in our rich cultural past, and therefore, it is natural that we would be protective about it.