Ethiopia Takes Back Valuable Items After a Long Stay in Germany
A total of 12 cultural artefacts were officially returned to Ethiopia following staying by a German family for in excess of a century.
These items, originally collected in the 1920's by the German then-envoy to Ethiopia a German envoy and his wife Hedwig, were delivered on midweek to the research center at the capital's university.
The collection featured headpieces, shields and artistic works, each considered as historically important in Ethiopia.
"These items continue to serve as a emblem of the enduring and friendly connection between Germany and the Ethiopian people," stated the German diplomat, Germany's ambassador to Ethiopia.
Dr. a professor, whose father was delivered during the household's diplomatic posting in Ethiopia, presented the artefacts at a event witnessed by Tourism Minister the tourism official.
He said that the family's aim to restore the artefacts was to "showcase their beauty with the audience and safeguard the heritage and past linked to my father's origin."
These objects were either considered donations or purchases, as stated by the relatives.
"We would like to thank Professor Weiss's family for concretely expressing their profound love for Ethiopia by meticulously preserving these treasures and crucially ensuring their homecoming to their proper country," said the tourism minister.
The minister continued that the items would shortly be opened to the general audience for study and educational purposes, calling the move a milestone in safeguarding Ethiopia's cultural heritage.
"Initiatives are ongoing to return old artifacts that are found in the possession of private persons and entities throughout the world," the minister stated.
During imperial control in Africa, thousands of traditional items were looted.
The call by nations in Africa for the repatriation of taken objects has been met with some progress in the past few years - although a number of objects are just on short-term display.
Back in 2022, the German government was the first nation to return a selection of the renowned historical items to Nigeria in an attempt to deal with its "dark colonial history."
Similar Topics
- Cultural Repatriation Efforts in the Continent
- This Impact of Colonial Past on Modern Ethiopian Culture
- Global Movements for the Return of Stolen Items
