I have written a couple of articles about Lemn Sissay, the British-born Ethiopian poet and playwright who recently adopted to the stage Franz Kafka’s classic novel called “The Metamorphosis” Today, I am writing about Ethiopian artists like Lemn living in the Diaspora who could and should join the fight for the rehabilitation of Ethiopia’s historical artifacts that are numbered in the thousands and are actually languishing in various museums and art galleries in Europe while they should be returned to their rightful owners, that is to say Ethiopians and Africans in general.
Lemn has recently published an article in the Guardian on the same subject. What I am trying to do here is to elaborate on his ideas and add my perspectives on the subject that has always remained a concern to the people of Africa. The return of lost artifacts to Ethiopia or Africa is a burning issue because it is the most important issue whenever discussions are held on the need to rebuild African identity that can only be achieved on the basis historical legitimacy. Experience has shown that without its historical and cultural relics Africa and Africans will continue to feel the psychological trauma of losing one part of their body, a kind of trauma resulting in the dismemberment and loss of one crucial part of their collective identity.
In the Guardian article, Lemn Sissay underpinned the importance of the contribution African artists in the Diaspora could make in reclaiming the continent’s historical and cultural heritages that were stolen during the colonial and post-colonial eras even before them. This is not a new call but since it comes from a prominent Ethiopian-British poet, it is bound to attract more attention than usual. Throughout the post-independence period, Africans in the Diaspora have been calling on governments and private cultural institution in Europe urging them to return the cultural and historical relics to Africans, their rightful owners.
Even here at home in Ethiopia, the intellectual community was always keen to uphold this cause in the belief that Africa without its relics is like an empty house without furniture to adorn it or like a man who has lost his soul or consciousness and lives in a catatonic state. As Lemn Sissay said in his Guardian article, “Part of the heart of the country, [Ethiopia] was looted and is being held in [European] museums.” Sissay has sent a particular call to artists writers, singers and others. He said that, “The emergence of Ethiopians such as the Booker Prize nominated author Meaza Mengiste, the fashion model Liya Kebede, musicians such as Mulatu Astatke, and visual artists including Aida Muluneh and Julie Mehretu were forming a critical mass that was forcing museums and governments to reassess looted Ethiopian items in their collections, such as those taken after the Battle of Maqdala fought between British and Abyssinian forces in 1868.”
Sissay’s appeal is not of course the first to be made and there were many intellectuals here at home and in the Diaspora who had been championing the return of looted artifacts back to the country. That was the first generation of what we may call cultural activists who ceaselessly called upon European governments to take the matter seriously. Their efforts have of course produced mixed results. They were successful in securing items like part of the Aksum obelisk and others while on the other hand their campaigns were interrupted for no reason, the absence of consistence and cooperation under a permanent institution might have been the real factor behind for this partial success.
The task of repatriation of African cultural heritages has started a long time ago and is still progressing although slowly. This is because repatriation is being conducted on the basis of individual or group initiatives and has seldom been conducted by the African Unity the single body with the relevant power and authority to conduct the work under its supervision.
And now a second generation of cultural activists seems to be knocking on the doors and making the same demands. It is to be noted that the first generation of activists was composed mainly of historians like the Pankhurst family and writers as well as the local intellectual community. The present generation which is yet on its way to emerging with the same demands is so far composed of artists and seems to have taken the initiatives.
This is of course a positive development that should be supported by government authorities and the cultural establishment here at home. The nature of support may be in the form of institutionalization of the efforts being undertaken or coordination in the form of information and prioritization of the campaign. First and foremost, this demands a major forum, whether online or live interactions, of all the new stakeholders to discuss the matter and achieve consensus around the major issues.
As Lemn said in his Guardian article, “As Ethiopia articulates itself through culture around the world, it becomes less easy to ignore the Battle of Maqdala. There were so many looted sacred objects, which means part of the heart of what it means to be Ethiopian is missing. As Ethiopia rises, so does the discussion about what was looted in 1868.”
As The Guardian reported there have been calls for decades for the tablets or “tabots” to be repatriated to Ethiopia, and the country’s culture minister requested their return while on a visit to the museum in 2019. Some “tabots” have already gone back such as one found in an Edinburgh church 23 years ago. It was also reported that in February, the Ethiopian government successfully halted the auction of a shield taken from Maqdala in the UK while Westminster Abbey agreed “in principle” to return to Ethiopia a sacred tablet it holds.
“Maqdala is not going away,” Sissay was reported as saying, “More than ever, there is a much more sober conversation happening between the British and the Ethiopian authorities, and that is happening because of the museums in Britain. These are the places where we are assessing what our role is in the world for the next 500 years.”
Efforts for the repatriation of the looted relics should however be conducted not only by Ethiopians but also by other Africans in the Diaspora in coordination with their colleagues.
African countries have more or less lost various historical and cultural relics that are now found in various European capitals some of which are still regarded as war trophies or war booties. We need to reclaim what was ours and let the old colonial wound heal and the ongoing legal and illegal business with looted Africans treasures that is promoted with the full knowledge and sometimes the direct or indirect cooperation from European authorities although they are denying that such activities are taking place in their own turfs.
It would be up to African governments and African experts to search and find their lost treasures and bring them to international attention. The Egyptians have done a great deal of commendable work in this area. they are still continuing their search for their past that is nourishing and enriching their present. Ethiopia too has conducted similar efforts in the past although present day efforts are a bit sluggish. African anthropologists should priority to African hidden treasures and use their skills and knowledge to help the continent rediscover and bring its past civilizations to light so that it would be used for its spiritual and material development.
Intentional organizations should also help them financially and by providing trainings to young African cultural workers. There are so many African philosophers, ethnologists, anthropologists and so on, living in the West or lecturing at prestigious universities. These elite intellectuals should come down to Africa and study their traditions and cultures and join the campaign for the repatriation of the looted African relics. Local chapters for the promotion of the campaign can be organized in each African country and help the effort.
From any perspective we look at the issue, the new generation of cultural activists endorsed band their colleagues in the Diaspora could be doing a terrific job if they could institutionalize and coordinate their campaigns. This is a huge task that can no more be undertaken in isolation. Lemn Sissay’s new initiative along this line is more than commendable and should be endorsed by others like him. A lot of time has so far been lost for lack of initiative and support. The foot-dragging must stop now.
This is obviously the time to reignite the passion for the return of Africa’s historical and cultural relics that were looted and taken to Europe where they have been exposed to neglect and a second theft by the underground or online trade in the artifacts that is enriching the rich while impoverishing Africans by alienating the sources of their pride and identity.
BY MULUGETA GUDETA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 13 APRIL 2024
