-Symbolizing nat’l unity, heritage
ADDIS ABABA – After 156 years, Ethiopia has successfully reclaimed Emperor Tewodros II’s armor, looted during the 1868 Magdala War with British troops.
In a press briefing yesterday, Ethiopian Heritage Authority Director-General, Abebaw Ayalew, announced the historic return, achieved after a year-long negotiation with the Anderson & Garland auction house in Newcastle.
The Ethiopian Heritage Authority, alongside the Ethiopian National Heritage Restitution Committee in North America and the Ethiopian Embassy in the UK, played key roles in securing the armor’s return. “This armor holds immense significance for all Ethiopians, symbolizing the sacrifices of our ancestors and embodying liberty, unity, and sovereignty,”Abebaw emphasized.
To further protect Ethiopia’s cultural heritage, Abebaw highlighted that the authority is working on a national inventory to reclaim other items looted over the years.
Social anthropologist Alula Pankhurst (PhD), a member of the Ethiopian Heritage Trustee Board, noted that the return of cultural artifacts marks a meaningful step for the country, as numerous Ethiopian heritage items remain abroad. He credited the return to the concerted efforts of individuals and organizations, including Prince Ermiyas Sahle-Selassie, the Ethiopian Heritage Authority, the Ethiopian Patriotic Association, and media outlets like The Guardian and The Telegraph, which helped apply crucial pressure.
The auction was initially set to continue despite objections, but in a decisive turn, Prince Ermiyas Sahle-Selassie purchased the armor, which was later displayed at the Toledo Museum of Art in the United States before returning to Ethiopia. The prince has now gifted the armor back to the Ethiopian people.
Alula pointed out that numerous Ethiopian artifacts remain in 27 museums in the UK and nine other countries, urging the Ethiopian government and stakeholders to take concerted action to reclaim these invaluable heritage items.
The Ethiopian Patriots Association President Lej Daniel Jote Mesfin praised the armor’s return as an inspiration for the current generation, symbolizing past sacrifices made to protect the nation. He expressed gratitude for the return, reminding the younger generation to resist modern forms of colonialism and focus on building a stronger Ethiopia for future generations.
The 1868 Magdala War, also known as the Second Abyssinian War, was a military conflict between the British Empire and the Ethiopian Empire, primarily involving the forces of Emperor Tewodros II. After Tewodros’s death, British troops looted Magdala, seizing numerous artifacts and cultural treasures, including the emperor’s armor and church relics, as war trophies.
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2024
