Mailbag ARYE-ISAAC OPHIR, ISRAEL Luckily, I have never come across a noisy Egyptian mummy. But wow, do they attract a lot of outside noise. Getting on the electoral register is simple and straightforward RUDOLF WEBER, SOMERSET WEST, SOUTH AFRICA Simple and straightforward? Not without e-voting. And not when voting papers arrive months later or not at all! E-voting needs to be introduced as quickly as possible – for the Swiss Abroad at least. I don’t see what the big issue is. FERNAND VOUTAT, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Where I live, you are lucky to receive anything at all by post. In 15 years, I have not received my voting papers once! E-voting is, therefore, the only way for me to participate in elections and popular votes. ROBERTO SCHIBLI, SANTA MARTA, COLOMBIA Here in Colombia, I receive my voting papers months after the actual vote has taken place! Shep-en-Isis and the thorny question of repatriation JOËLLE TAILLANDIER, SAINT-LOUIS, FRANCE Shep-en-Isis belongs in her country of origin. This is obvious to anyone who condemns colonialism and the theft of cultural heritage and identity. Like Milo Rau and many others, I hope Switzerland and all countries that have illegally and illegitimately acquired cultural property from elsewhere give the artefacts back. Every country, every people and every civilisation has the inalienable right to protect and showcase its own history, heritage and wealth – including art, culture, natural resources, human expertise, etc. ERICH BAUMANN, PEMBERTON, CANADA If it is important to the Egyptians, Shep-enIsis’s mummy should be returned to Egypt – no question. The time is long gone when European countries keeping cultural objects from foreign lands could be acceptable. ADNANE BEN CHAABANE, TUNIS Should we return all these cultural artefacts? Or can we just accept that some cultural property will always end up elsewhere around the world? In my opinion, having some artefacts outside their country of origin can act as a cultural conduit. Nor do I think it is a bad thing to be able to view and admire such artefacts without having to travel halfway around the world. Doing so can also make people want to discover more about their own country. An ancient Egyptian mummy called Shep-en-Isis who was the daughter of a priest lies in the St Gallen Abbey Library. But does she really belong in St Gallen? While she is silent on the matter our readers had a lot to say on this sensitive issue. Discussion “Swiss Review” is counting on your support Many Swiss Abroad particularly appreciate the print edition of “Swiss Review”. Not only do they want to read the magazine, but they also want to hold something physical and tactile from Switzerland in their hands. They have a close connection to the hard copy. Some 325,000 readers currently subscribe to the print edition. We in the “Swiss Review” editorial team are very happy about that. But such incredible loyalty also poses a huge challenge. Extremely high mailing costs coupled with the sharp rise in energy and raw material prices – not least due to the war in Ukraine – mean that “Swiss Review” has had to take a financial hit. What compounds the situation is that we have no additional funds available – and that the magazine is essentially free of charge for Swiss Abroad. Voluntary subscriptions from our readers are, therefore, an important and much-appreciated way to ensure the print edition’s long-term survival. We hope you agree that this latest magazine illustrates our unwavering commitment to the hard-copy format, as we believe that we have put together another content-packed, stimulating and highly readable “Swiss Review”. And we would really like to continue doing the very same thing in future. For you, our readers. MARC LETTAU, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The bank details for the transfer of voluntary subscriptions are as follows (please note that cheques cannot be cashed): IBAN: CH97 0079 0016 1294 4609 8 Bank: Berner Kantonalbank, Bundesplatz 8, CH-3011 Bern BIC/SWIFT: KBBECH22 Beneficiary: BEKB Bern, Account 16.129.446.0.98 Organisation of the Swiss Abroad Fao Mr A. Kiskery Alpenstrasse 26, CH-3006 Bern Reference: Support Swiss Review Payments by PayPal: www.revue.link/support Visit the online edition of “Swiss Review” at www.revue.ch. Read the latest comments on our articles and join the conversation yourself. You can also share your opinions on the community discussion forum of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). Link to the SwissCommunity discussion forum: members.swisscommunity.org/forum 31 Swiss Review / May 2023 / No.3
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