When my daughter Marina is born, I make a commitment to my children not to pass on the fear and anger that I hold for the Turkish people, something that took root in childhood. I have no wish to taint my children’s experience or allow the mistrust that I’ve inherited to be passed on to another generation. War destroys every ounce of trust between nations. Recognizing the extent of the destruction of the symbols of my faith makes me want to understand the conflict that exists between Turkey and Cyprus on a deeper level. I dedicate a few years of my life to learning everything I can about the Turkish culture. I begin with the language and, through taking weekly walks with my Turkish teacher, Erhan Gurer, we exchange our favorite artists, musicians, writers, poets, photographers, and philosophers so that we may each explore each other’s culture with a fresh perspective. We even confide what we believe about each other’s culture and concerns about each other’s religion. Because there is a respectful space for dialogue to emerge between us, a trust is born and a friendship created.
In 2011, based on my passion to continue to spread the word about the importance of protecting cultural heritage, and to share the lessons learned from Cyprus, I establish a nongovernmental organization (NGO) called Walk of Truth. The name comes from my own “Walk of Truth,” a reflection on the lessons learned from my experiences. I set out on this journey to reclaim my identity and what I discover is that it has been with be all the while. Who I am as a person and what I stand for lives within. I thought that my identity was stolen from me but no one can take that away from you unless you let them. Each of us carries a personal history. Through the course of our work and our personal lives, we unknowingly trigger one another’s emotional wounds. This exposes our vulnerabilities and causes an adverse impact on our productivity and on the environment. Our inner conflicts create misunderstandings between us, leading to the destruction of relationships, which also escalates to a national level. When egos dominate, there is a lack of respect for diversity and religious beliefs that poisons the atmosphere.
Walk of Truth gives me a platform to continue the idea that culture can be what connects us, not what divides us. It can only be achieved if we stop pretending we are the same and explore and discover each other’s diversity with respect. The cultural history of the world belongs to each of us, which is why we must all contribute to protect it. Walk of Truth gives me the opportunity to continue my repatriation work and to engage the public in my efforts.
After I witnessed the destruction of cultural heritage taking place in other parts of the world, I decided to share my network of contacts and expertise to empower others living or fleeing from areas of conflict to be engaged in the repatriation of their own arts. I launched Cultural Crime Watchers Worldwide (CCWW), which will provide a twenty-four-hour anonymous hotline for refugees, displaced citizens, and individuals around the globe to join me as peaceful warriors in the battle against the destruction of cultural heritage and art trafficking. CCWW will allow individuals to report the looting, destruction, and trading of cultural heritage with the goal of encouraging ethical trade.
As a refugee, I hope to inspire millions of other refugees around the world to see that they can make a difference. My way was to see to the return of the sacred artifacts and I invite everyone out there to join my movement of peaceful warriors wishing to reclaim their identity.
These priceless artifacts and antiquities that hold a road map to our past and shed light on our advance into a civilized society are treated without regard for their spiritual and emotional value. When a religious monument is conquered by another faith like the Church of Ayia Sofia in Istanbul, the resentment and mistrust is passed from generation to generation. Without trust, there can be no peace and reconciliation.
We create a demand with our greed and justify our actions to buy and sell religious symbols because we have lost our moral compass.
THE WRAP UP
Munich
In September 2010, the Bavarian court issues a decision and rules in favor of Cyprus. Dikmen, files and appeal. The court rules that some of the artifacts will be returned to Cyprus in March of 2013.1
In March of 2013, the Bavarian court issued a partial decision clearing the way for 173 of those Cypriot artifacts from the Munich sting to return to Cyprus. The remaining artifacts that were taken from churches in the occupied area that cannot be sufficiently proven to be of Cypriot origin, require further investigation.2 One of the sacred artifacts returning to Cyprus is the Saint Thomas mosaic from the Church of Panagia Kanakaria and it along with other returned artifacts are now displayed in the Byzantine Museum of Cyprus in Nicosia.
In March of 2015, the Bavarian court issues a decision on the Munich case in regard to the fate of another thirty-four artifacts. It is decided that these artifacts will also return to Cyprus. There are forty-nine additional artifacts where sufficient proof of provenance has not been provided and these will be auctioned off in Germany.
Walk of Truth sends a letter to the minister of justice in Germany to demand the entire catalogue of confiscated artifacts from the Munich operation be published so that other nations may reclaim their artifacts, as Cyprus did. Up until this day, no list was ever made public.
Lans
At a roundtable debate organized by Walk of Truth at the Peace Palace on September 13, 2013 in The Hague titled, “Art Trafficking and Restitution: Lessons Learned from Cyprus and Afghanistan,” it is announced that after nineteen years of court battles, a lengthy civil trial, and my persistent lobbying of the Houses of Parliament to amend the existing law to comply with the Hague Protocol, the Dutch government has agreed to return the four icons from the Lans case to the Republic of Cyprus. The icons return home on September 18, 2013.3
When the Munich and Lans artifacts are returned to Cyprus, I am not invited by church or state to welcome them home. As I hear what I worked on for almost thirty years be presented as a victory of church and state, I smile. What is important is that the Cypriot people rejoice with me as these refugee artifacts are returned home. My mission is accomplished.