Reports are indicating that countries with tangible and intangible heritages are becoming more and more victims of illegal heritage trafficking and theft. According to sources, several factors are provided behind such theft and illicit heritage trafficking. The need to get money, absence of awareness about the value of a particular cultural heritage and the pressure from international brokers are some of the reasons behind illicit heritage trafficking. According to experts, despite the use of several technologies to deter illicit trafficking it did not bring the expected result.According to reports, illicit tracking of cultural and historical heritages has become one of the multibillion dollar businesses globally. This is almost next to money laundry, human and drug trafficking. This is a good indication why poor countries with historical and cultural heritages are losing their precious items to illegal brokers and, that is why those precious cultural heritages that were made in Africa or other countries will end up in private collections of Europe or North America.
Ethiopia is known and considered as the cradle of man-kind and a country of age old history. Due to this reason, the country has various types of cultural and historical heritages that can tell the world the historical ground of the nation. However, due to several external wars and internal conflicts the country has lost several precious heritages. These cultural and historical heritages are either intentionally destroyed during internal conflicts or stolen during wars with foreign powers.
Hewan Tesfaye, who had been studying reasons behind illegal trafficking of heritages, said that several factors have contributed to the loss of historical and cultural heritages. The involvement of illegal brokers in the area is one major reason. According to her, artifact brokers knew the heartbeat of those individuals with an access to tangible and movable objects. They knew how to buy their hearts with their penny. Using the economic weakness of those individuals in charge of cultural heritage brokers will indirectly steal precious cultural heritages. That is why we are witnessing artifacts whose origin is in Ethiopia sometimes ending up either in Europe or North America. Most Ethiopian cultural heritages are found in the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel and France, respectively.
Of late with concerted efforts of pertinent stakeholders Ethiopia has secured to return some heritages from France. According to the issued press release, France has decided to restitute cultural heritages that were illegally exported from Ethiopia.
Following this good news, the Embassy of Ethiopia in France had discussed with the French Foreign Ministry Cultural Affairs Section and French Customs Authorities on ways of returning the artifacts back to home and have expressed its heartfelt appreciation for the good will of the French government. Accordingly, the restitution is planned to take place in June 2022.
The restitution is a demonstration of the strong cultural cooperation between the two countries as they celebrate the 125 years of diplomatic relations, Ambassador of Ethiopia to France, Henok Tefera, said. The artifacts that would be returned back to Ethiopia include a 15th century cross and necklace from the end of the 19th.
The French Government’s strong commitment to restore illegally exported African cultural objects back to the continent was revealed following the Declaration of President Emmanuel Macron in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in November 2017 where he pledged the restitution of African cultural goods back to Africa.
In his speech at the University Of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 2017, President Emanuel Macron said that African heritage cannot solely exist in private collections and European museums. “Within five years I want the conditions to exist for temporary or permanent returns of African heritage to Africa,” Emanuel Macron stated.
It is clear that cultural heritages are important sources of valuable scientific and historical information for the community they were crafted by. They are also a living witness for the existing society to tell about its forefathers and foremothers. What is more, keeping such cultural heritages at their original place has economic and cultural significance for that particular nation. In this regard, experts and the society must work hand and glove to protect and preserve those precious heritages at home. They must learn to say “No” to those heritage brokers. The government and concerned institutions, particularly, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has a responsibility in protecting heritages. Last but not least, the diplomatic community has to play a key role for the safe return of cultural heritages back to home.
Several researches and historical documents suggest that the greatest looting of Ethiopian artifacts happened during the battle of Mekdela in 1868, when Emperor Tewodros fought against the British military expedition led by General Robert Napier. The latter brought the museum experts to collect historic documents and moveable cultural heritages from the library of Emperor Tewodros to be taken to the British museum.
According to Peace Palace Library, the battle of Mekdela, which basically started as an expedition to free British hostages taken by the Abyssinian emperor, resulted in a decisive victory for the British and the suicide of the Abyssinian emperor Tewodros. In the aftermath, the British troops plundered the empire and loaded 15 elephants and almost 200 mules with their spoils. The Victoria and Albert Museum now hosts a special display with a number of the artifacts.
The same source indicated that British troops plundered the empire and loaded 15 elephants and almost 200 mules with their spoils. They took the treasure – along with the seven year old son of the emperor – back to London. The treasure ended up in several British museums and the National Library. The young Abyssinian prince died several years later, only eighteen years old.
Sources indicated that France, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Vatican City are the top five countries with Ethiopian cultural heritages.
There is a saying that “When there is a will there’s a way.” The willingness of the government of France to return Ethiopian historical artifacts is part of its age-old diplomatic relations with Ethiopia and a lesson to other countries to return stolen heritages.
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 20 MAY 2022
