🔗 Share this article

Around Twelve ancient items were formally returned to Ethiopia after staying by a family in Germany for in excess of ten decades.

The items, originally gathered in the 1920's by Germany's representative to Ethiopia Franz Weiss and his wife his partner, were transferred on midweek to the Ethiopian Studies Institute at Addis Ababa University.

This set contained crowns, protective shields and canvases, all regarded as historically significant in the country.

"These treasures continue to stand as a emblem of the enduring and friendly relationship between the German nation and the Ethiopian people," stated the German diplomat, the representative to Ethiopia.

Dr. Ramon Wyss, whose parent was delivered during the household's diplomatic posting in Ethiopia, handed over the artefacts at a ceremony attended by Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa.

He stated that the family's intention to give back the items was to "share their appeal with the audience and preserve the culture and history connected to my parent's birth."

The objects were either considered donations or acquisitions, based on the family.

"We would like to thank Professor Weiss's household for concretely expressing their deep appreciation for Ethiopia by meticulously maintaining these items and vitally ensuring their repatriation to their proper nation," said the tourism minister.

The minister added that the items would soon be opened to the general audience for study and educational purposes, terming the decision a milestone in safeguarding the nation's cultural heritage.

"Initiatives persist to bring back ancient artifacts that are held in the hands of collectors and organizations all over the world," she affirmed.

In the era of imperial control in Africa, numerous of historical objects were plundered.

This demand by the continent's states for the repatriation of stolen artefacts has been answered with a degree of positive outcomes in lately - even if several objects are merely on loan.

In two years ago, the German government was the pioneering state to repatriate a portion of the renowned Benin artifacts to the Nigerian people as part of an effort to deal with its "troubled colonial history."

Similar Themes

• Cultural Restoration Initiatives in the Continent
• This Significance of Imperial History on Contemporary Ethiopian Heritage
• Global Campaigns for the Restitution of Stolen Artefacts