INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Six Sri Lankan colonial artefacts are slated to be returned to the island in December, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
reported.Accordingly, six historical objects that are currently on display in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in the
belong to Sri Lanka, will be returned to the island in the first week of December, after over 200 years abroad.The Dutch Ambassador for
International Cultural Cooperation Dewi van de Weerd will lead a mission overseeing the handover on behalf of the Netherlands.The artefacts
will be physically returned to Sri Lanka during a two-day event at the Colombo National Museum on 05 and 06 December, which will be open to
the public and will comprise activities to educate both, the young and old, on the long shared history of Sri Lanka and the
with Sri Lanka, while also coming to terms with its colonial past
As a part of this, Ambassador Van de Weerd hopes to discuss possibilities for further strengthening the cultural cooperation between the
to return more Sri Lankan cultural heritage in the future
Through these initiatives the government of the Netherlands aims to open a new chapter in its relationship with Sri Lanka
Netherlands, led by State Secretary for Culture and Media in the Netherlands Gunay Uslu, signed two legal documents related to transferring
by Dutch State Secretary Gunay Uslu and Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickramanayaka and the Director
General of the Department of National Museums on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, on 27 August.
