UNESCO -- The debate surrounding authenticity

Описание: The second chapter within Part 2 of The Giant Buddhas produced in 2005.

The debate surrounding possible renovation, restoration or reconstruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas is, of course, interesting for a documentary filmmaker as it involves authenticity and veracity. Christian Manhart from the UNESCO headquarters in Paris is responsible for Afghanistan but he has other priorities in Bamiyan: A reconstruction of the Buddhas is not at the top of his list. However, the niches in which the Buddhas once stood were damaged by the explosions and have to be stabilized. And the remaining frescoes should be restored and afforded protection.

The film accompanies the UNESCO team of experts to Bamiyan and we discover that the final decision on the future of the Bamiyan Buddhas is still to be taken. Should a memorial be laid out on the ground? Should a laser hologram illuminate the niche at night? Or should the Buddha be reconstructed from fragments using anastylosis?

The voices of the narrators in the film summarise the views of the team of experts as follows:

Time has come for the experts and their Power Point presentations, for meetings and scientific debates. Thanks to the magnetic alignment of the minerals, it is possible to determine, to the exact centimeter, where each fragment of the Buddha comes from. And then? What use is all this knowledge? Will the Buddha ever be resurrected? No question, the remaining frescoes need to be preserved, the broken parts in the niches protected and identified. The niches themselves need to be stabilized. They have been damaged by the explosions and are on the verge of collapse. Sensors are installed everywhere. Steel anchors drilled into the cliff. Everything conscientiously noted and logged. I wonder, does a memorial really require such exactitude? The niches won't collapse for a couple of hundred years, proclaims one of the engineers. In a few million years, a geologist counters, the whole cliff won't be here any more.

What did Buddha say again?

«Everything changes. Nothing remains permanent.»