Outcry for British museum to return ‘looted’ artifacts
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The hair of a longdead emperor and an intricate golden crown are among the artifacts Ethiopia’s government is demanding to be returned from British government institutions and private collections, as more countries seek to reclaim heritage they say was taken decades, even centuries, ago.
“We have submitted a letter to the relevant officials in Britain to return the looted items and we are waiting for their reply,” said Ethiopia’s minister for culture and tourism, Hirut Woldemariam. “We will use whatever legal and diplomatic instruments we have at hand to secure their return.”
The outcry comes as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London displays some of the items in a new exhibit that explores the 1868 British expedition to what was then called Abyssinia. “Even at the time, this episode was regarded as a shameful one,” the museum’s website says, noting “these objects’ difficult past.”
During that British campaign, in which 13,000 troops were deployed to free several British hostages, Emperor Tewodros killed himself and his fortress was captured and looted. His young son, Prince Alemayehu, was taken to Britain and died there at age 18. He was buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Emotions are high in Ethiopia as the East African nation marks the 150th anniversary of that Battle of Maqdala and its officials seek the return of the emperor’s hair — currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum — and his son’s bones.
Ethiopia’s demand comes as more countries address the growing interest in returning artifacts. Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to Burkina Faso that he hoped conditions would be met within five years for the temporary or permanent “restitution of African heritage to Africa.”