Policy

Three Sudanese museums that received £1 million in funding from the British Council are demanding the return of colonial artefacts taken by imperial troops in the 19th century.

The museums, overseen by Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), were awarded the grants in 2018 to help with restoration efforts after they were damaged by regional conflict.

The head of the NCAM has now demanded that the UK repatriate looted Sudanese cultural treasures including banners, armour and human remains taken after the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, suggesting that they could be moved to the museums that received the funding.

The artefacts in question are currently held at Durham University’s Palace Green Library, the Royal Armouries and the University of Edinburgh’s Anatomical Museum.

“We have to have a big campaign. These people are our brothers, our heroes. They unified and defended our country. It is a very special story of resistance to imperialism,” said Dr. Eglal el-Malik, the NCAM’s Conservation Director, according to a report in the Telegraph.

The choice to fund organisations lobbying for repatriation of artefacts has raised questions about how cash is awarded by organisations such as the British Council, which is partially government funded.

A British Council spokesperson said: “We are proud of our cultural protection work in Sudan. It has helped to strengthen the cultural ties between the UK and Sudan.

"The grant, which was provided in 2018, aimed to protect cultural heritage at risk and does not have a remit on repatriations of cultural artefacts."

The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre has published a collection of digital resources for local authorities considering funding bids for their creative industries as part of the government’s levelling up agenda.

The new resources include relevant research and critical insights about the sector, such as useful statistics, case studies and suggested reading lists. 

The information is designed to aid local authorities that plan to submit bids to the Shared Prosperity Fund, due to close on 1 August, and to serve as a useful bank of advice for future research and investment incentivisation. 

The collection of pages is intended to be an evolving resource. Interested organisations and researchers are invited to share input on further case studies and useful research that should be added to the online hub.
 

Opera UK has announced a series of online events to be held in the first week of July that will facilitate discussion around the future of opera in the country.

The sessions will be focused on three pressing issues: environmental sustainability, greater diversification in leadership and advocacy for opera, and will feature at least 14 expert speakers.

Contributors who have so far signed up include directors of leading companies, performers and those working on the ground in positions including technical production and stage direction.

Annilese Miskimmon, Artistic Director at English National Opera, Elizabeth Llwellyn, soprano and a trustee of Into Opera and Mark Pemberton, Chief Executive at the Association of British Orchestras, are all scheduled to participate. 

All events will be participatory, allowing attendees to join the discussions and ask questions. 

“Innovation and change is vital to ensure that our sector remains relevant, effectively engages with communities, and benefits our audiences,” said Genevieve Raghu, Artistic Director of Into Opera and one of Opera UK’s Founding Directors. 

“We hope these events will help to connect individuals and companies across the opera sector and instigate even more conversations, positive changes and, through increased collaboration of our members, we hope to see a strengthening of the resilience of the opera sector.”

The discussions will also serve as a platform to launch a new mapping exercise designed to help establish a detailed picture of the national opera industry. 

Not-for-profit arts organisation 64 Million Artists is among 70 British companies participating in a six-month pilot to offer employees a four-day working week with no loss of pay.

More than 3,300 workers are taking part in the scheme, which is the world’s biggest four-day week trial to date. Staff at participating organisations pledge to maintain 100% productivity in return for working 80% of the hours while retaining 100% of their salaries.

Based in London, Brighton and Stroud, 64 Million Artists offers training and development programmes, collaborates with academic institutions on arts research and policy, and issues creativity challenges to inspire artists and promote positive change.

The trial, which launched this week, is organised by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the thinktank Autonomy and the 4 Day Week Campaign. 

Researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford alongside Boston College, USA will work with participating organisations to monitor company productivity and staff wellbeing and to measure the trial’s impact on gender equality and the environment. 

“As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognising that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, output-focused working is the vehicle to give them a competitive edge,” Chief Executive of 4 Day Week Global said.

Other companies participating in the trial span the education, consultancy, housing, skincare, food and beverage, marketing and architecture and construction sectors. 

The UK’s Cultural Protection Fund is yet to designate funding to Ukraine to support widespread damage to heritage sites caused by Russia’s invasion. 

The fund, administered by the British Council and backed by the Foreign Office, has delivered £30m since its inception in 2016 to protect cultural heritage at risk, namely across the Middle East and North and East Africa.

A British Council spokesperson told The Art Newspaper Ukraine was not automatically eligible for the fund, but an exception was made to allow allocation of £60,000 in March, which did not materialise.

In the last financial year, the £2.4m earmarked for grants had been largely spent before Russia’s invasion began in late February. This year’s fund is now open for expressions of interest, but the Ukraine is not listed as one of the fund’s targeted countries on the British Council’s website.

The Cultural Protection Fund did channel £80,000 through a Dutch non-governmental organisation in March, which is coordinating assistance for Ukraine.

The Prince Claus Fund shipped protection materials for works of art and buildings to Ukraine via Poland in March. A second consignment is now being organised.

The support package also received funding from foundations in the USA and Germany.