has resolved to make a police report against journalist Johanne
Hildebrandt for participation in looting of Afghan artifacts.
On 31 August last year Hildebrandt appeared at Riksutställningars
"Revolutionary Seminar". Her presentation would highlight the "role of
museums and cultural heritage in armed conflicts". In the program her
lecture was said to throw light on "the illegal trade in cultural goods"
and it was pointed out that Sweden joined the so-called Unidroit
Convention to protect the looting of cultural property.
The journalist Johanne Hildebrandt who for 20 years travelled around
with various NATO operations talked about how she as an embedded
journalist in the Swedish Nato/Isaf-team FS19 in Mazar-e Sharif in
northern Afghanistan a few months 2010 was with a unit that would
construct a FOB, Forward Operating Base, at a unique hill near the
village Alizayi, Chimtal district, twenty miles west of Mazar (latitude
36.7 longitude 66.62).
The hill is unique in the sense that it is rising tens of meters above
the Balkh river plain and is the only height around. The nearest town is
Balkh, which in the years 2200-1700 BC was the center of the Bactrian
realm, a Bronze Age high-culture that attracted conquerors as Cyrus II
and Alexander the Great. The city is called "mother of all cities" and is
world famous for its wealth of ancient remnants.
The Swedish military ordered a bulldozer to the place, which peeled off
the top on the hill. Hildebrandt talks about how the whole place is full of
potsherds and objects, and that on top of the hill, there were grave
monuments. According to her patronizing description the local
population showed no interest in its ancient history.
What did Hildebrandt do in that situation?
- I "looted" (looted) a little myself, she said, and proudly showed a
selection of objects to the museum people. She said she wanted to show
"the results of her hobby-looting" and wanted help with finding out what
kind of objects she had found. (Her speech - in swedish - is to be seen at
http://bambuser.com/v/1936232)
When Eva Myrdal from East Asian Museum explained that she should
have handed over the objects to Kabul Museum, Hildebrand defended
herself by claiming that "there was no way to go to the museum in Kabul
or Mazar. I took the objects to protect them."
A participant at the seminar, a Swedish museum official, suggested that
she would keep the objects and proposed a vote on the matter.
With regard to the total lack of reaction from Swedish media or Swedish
authorities so far the Swedish Afghanistan Solidarity Society appeals to
all international organizations with responsibilities in the field as well as
individuals to react on the Swedish looting in the Mazar-e Sharif area.
We don't know anything about the scope of the looting. But the fact that
a Swedish embedded journalist (her media company is headed by herself
and colonel Ulf Henricsson who has served in several Nato-operations)
can engage in "hobby looting" without any official reaction whatsoever is
most disturbing.
Please let us know any steps You take.
Stefan Lindgren
vice chair Afghan Solidarity Society
afghanistansolidaritet@gmail.com
The hill outside Balkh that was peeled off with a bulldozer on order
from the Swedish military under Nato command in Afghanistan.
Johanne Hildebrandt showing looted objects.
A pot looted by Hildebrandt and shown to 200 Swedish museum
officials without any consequenses. Also representatives of the Unidroit
authorities were present.
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lindgren.text@bredband.net
Stefan Lindgren, Fallvindsg 6, 12832 Skarpnäck
Prenumrera gratis på http://www.nyhetsbanken.se/pren.htm
