Ethiopia's looted ancient artifacts

An exhibition that opened at London's famous Victoria and Albert museum of ancient treasures looted from Ethiopia has revived debate about where such artifacts should reside. The exhibiton comprises 20 royal and religious artifacts plundered during the Battle of Maqdala in 1868, when a British force laid siege to the mountain fortress of Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros.

After its victory, the British force was at liberty to take what it wanted, which even caused controversy and shame at the time in England. "We want to better reflect on the history of these artifacts in our collection–tracing their origins and then confronting the difficult and complex issues which arise," says Tristram Hunt, the Victoria and Albert museum’s director.

The complex issue of repatriating looted objects has rumbled on for years in Europe and the US without much resolution. However, most recently there appears increasing openness to engage with the issue, both on the part of major Western museums and governments. French President Emmanuel Macron said in November that the restoration of African artifacts was a "top priority" for his country.

The scale of the treasures stolen by the British army remains a mystery. "It is not widely known what happened," historian Richard Pankhurst said before his death in 2017. "The soldiers were able to pick the best of the best that Ethiopia had to offer. Most Ethiopians have never seen manuscripts of that quality."

The argument for returning such artifacts appears strong, but museums take their guardianship very seriously. "We have the responsibility, as a public institution and national library, to research, make accessible and preserve the collections under our custodianship for people and researchers from all over the world," says Luisa Mengoni who works at the British Library.

This Maqdala necklace was recently returned to Ethiopia. "It’s true that the level of care and quality in Britain is much better than ours, but if you come to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa, you can see how well they [Maqdalas] are kept and made available to the public," says Andreas Eshete, co-founder of the Association for the Return of the Ethiopian Maqdala Treasures.

Those arguing for the manuscripts' return say the library won’t lose out as it can retain high-quality digital copies. "We can use digital to increase access for people across the world to the intellectual heritage we safeguard," Mengoni says. The library plans to digitize some 250 manuscripts from the Ethiopian collection. 25 manuscripts are already available online.

"The artwork suffers when it is digitalized, plus many of the manuscripts have detailed comments in the margins — there are many reasons scholars need to attend to the originals here in Ethiopia, and which are not met by digital copies," Andreas says. New legislation would have to be passed by the British Parliament for the manuscripts to be returned to Ethiopia.

Other options that find a middle ground in the debate are beginning to be discussed. Tristram Hunt says he is "open to the idea" of a long-term loan of the museum’s Maqdala objects to Ethiopia, a move that "would be a step in the right direction," says Alula Pankhurst, son of Richard Pankhurst. Author: James Jeffrey