Ethiopians press for return of looted relics Icons sacred to millions among treasures taken by British troops

One hundred and thirty-one years after a British military force ransacked Maqdala, the mountain capital of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II, a campaign has been launched to convince Britain to return hundreds of artefacts stolen during the expedition. The 32,000-strong force was sent to rescue miss...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Guardian (London)
Main Author RICHARD LEE IN ADDIS ABABA
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London (UK) Guardian News & Media Limited 08.05.1999
Subjects
Historic artifacts
History
Looting
UK
United Kingdom
Ethiopia
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Summary:One hundred and thirty-one years after a British military force ransacked Maqdala, the mountain capital of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II, a campaign has been launched to convince Britain to return hundreds of artefacts stolen during the expedition. The 32,000-strong force was sent to rescue missionaries held captive by Tewodros. It returned laden with booty, including more than 400 manuscripts. Among the lavishly illustrated documents were not only some of Ethiopia's most precious religious writings but the entire national archives. It is these artefacts that the Association for the Return of the Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures (Afromet) hopes the British government will hand back. The newly created asso ciation says they are needed to fill the gap in Ethiopia's political and cultural history.
ISSN:0261-3077