Ethiopian treasures

SIR – I am British-ethiopian, and attended the recent ceremony at the Athenaeum marking the handover of Ethiopian treasures looted during the 1868 Battle of Magdala (a battle quite different from most others fought by Britain in Africa during that era, in that Abyssinia was a sovereign nation). I therefore read your report (September 16) about the possible return of 11 tabot – sacred tablets – by the British Museum to Ethiopia with interest.

However, I would take issue with your suggestion that the museum may return the tabot due to a “decolonisation loophole”.

That the tabot are “unfit” objects for the museum collection has nothing to do with decolonisation (not least because Ethiopia was never colonised). These are objects which are of great importance to Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and have a religious use in Ethiopia (each is a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, and every church must have one, to be kept in the inner sanctum and paraded – shrouded – on festival days). They have no use in Britain, and are indeed so sacred they may never be seen, but must be kept in storage for perpetuity, at a (surely great) cost to the taxpayer.

This is in no way related to the Black Lives Matter movement; nor is it to do with repatriating colonial objects. It is therefore implausible to argue that returning them will set a precedent for other objects held by museums. There is no compelling reason to keep them.

This, I understand, is the argument advanced in a letter to the British Museum’s trustees by Tahir Shah’s Scheherazade Foundation, which has been at the forefront of efforts to return the tabot.

Zewditu Gebreyohanes

London SE11