In early April an exhibition called “Maqdala 1868” opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It’s comprised of treasures looted from Ethiopia, and so contributes to the ongoing controversy and debate about treasure ownership. In the case of Ethiopia, what is important in this controversy is the fact that the question of ownership is linked to […]
This lavishly illustrated 17th-century manuscript contains the first eight books of the Old Testament (the Octateuch), the four Gospels, and several canons of church councils. It is written in a small elegant script with decorative borders and devices and has many lively illustrations in bold colours. The Ethiopian church was one of five Oriental Orthodox […]
The National Army Museum has quietly removed from display a 19th-century looted braid of hair which the Ethiopian government has requested back as a national treasure. It came from the head of the Emperor Tewodros II, who killed himself at the end of the British invasion of Ethiopia in 1868 rather than being taken, prisoner. He shot […]
A group of Ethiopian treasures, now on special display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, have rekindled an old debate about whether such artefacts should be returned to their country of origin. Ethiopia would like them back. The V&A’s director, Tristram Hunt, has suggested a long-term loan. The Ethiopian government has welcomed Hunt’s offer. And there, […]
The Maqdella Expedition (1867-68) led by General Robert (Cornelius) Dundas Napier (1810-90) on behalf of the British government against Emperor Tewodros (Theodore) II (1818-68) of Ethiopia was the most curious of expeditions, curious in its origin, curious in its execution, and curious in its aftermath. It is, nevertheless, significant in some respects. First, it portended […]
Two locks of hair belonging to widely revered Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II will be repatriated after a request from Addis Ababa, the National Army Museum in the UK announced Monday, as more African countries seek to reclaim heritage they say was taken decades, even centuries, ago An outcry erupted last year among some Ethiopians over an exhibit […]
DANIEL TRILLING, The Atlantic LONDON—In a storeroom of the British Museum here sits a collection of 11 wood and stone tablets that nobody is allowed to see. They are Christian plaques, or tabots, that represent the Ark of the Covenant, and they belong—though belong in this case is a contested term—to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which believes only […]
IN THE BASEMENT OF LONDON’S British Library I was led into a small well-lit room, marking the end of a journey that began in the Ethiopian Highlands at the Addis Ababa home of a remarkable British historian. In that home, over strong Ethiopian coffee and English biscuits, Richard Pankhurst, who dedicated his life to documenting Ethiopian […]
In its on April the 3rd , The Guardian wrote an interesting article that highlights several things, most critically to me is the sense of impunity and arrogance. The article headline is ‘Looted Ethiopian treasure in U.K Could be return on loan.’ So what it saying…yes precisely the headline says that treasure looted by Britain […]
Ethiopian artefacts looted by the British colonialists in the 19th century are on a display in London, but a top Ethiopian official says the treasures belong to Addis Ababa and they need to be returned to the rightful owner. Ethiopia hopes the display at the London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), which will remain open […]
English
Afrikaans
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
French
German
Greek
Hindi
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Latin
Russian
Spanish
Sudanese
Swahili
Swedish