Colonial Splendour in European Vitrines (Satis Shroff)

Colonial Splendour in European 

Vitrines (Satis Shroff)

Asian and African heritage

Robbed from our ancestors,

Former kings, sultans and chieftans,

Are now declared legal gifts.

The British Museum reveals

The embezzled colonial treasures,

Locked in vitrines with electronic alarms.

The   works of art are evidence

Of plundered and robbed spoils,

The cultural heritage of defeated nations,

Of long forgotten wars and bloody skirmishes.

Today we meekly  pay the entrance fee

In Amsterdam, London and Paris

To witness our heritage

Preserved and treasured

In Europe.

©satisshroff