THE British government’s return of Ethiopian artefacts looted in the war of Magdala in 1868, announced in September has drawn attention once again to the looting of artefacts from Africa and elsewhere, in Europe’s many colonial wars.
Among the returned artefacts was a lock of hair belonging to Prince Alemayehu, son of the first modern ruler of Ethiopia, Emperor Tewodros II.
“The secular items including jorn cups and a shield and the Prince’s hair were handed over to the Ethiopian Ambassador and delivered to the Embassy in London. The Holy Tabot will be repatriated by the priests assigned by the Patriarchate within the next couple of months,” Alula Pankhurst, a member of Ethiopia’s Heritages Restitution National Committee, told bird story agency.
In 1868, Emperor Tewodros, regarded as the architect of modern Ethiopia, imprisoned British missionaries and envoys after his advances to Queen Victoria to help him modernise his army, went unanswered. In the resulting British military response, Tewodros lost the Battle of Magdala and faced capture. He chose instead to commit suicide.
In April 1868, after storming Tewodros’ fortress, the British plundered treasures and artefacts. Tewodros’ son, Prince Alemayehu, 7, was abducted, along with his mother, Empress Tiruwork Wube as “insurance” that the British would not be attacked by Ethiopian forces on the way home.
The empress died along the way, while the young prince is reported to have lived a sad life in London. Despite his guardian, Captain Tristam Speedy, receiving royal maintenance for his role in the campaign, that support was terminated when Prince Alemayehu turned 18. He died shortly afterwards.
In addition to a lock of Alemayehu’s hair, included in the returned items is a much-revered religious object, the Holy Tabot. Tabots are stone altar tablets, usually inscribed with the Ten Commandments and are similar to those believed to have been contained in the biblical Arc of the Covenant, which many Christian Ethiopians believe to reside in Ethiopia.
“The secular items including jorn cups and a shield and the Prince’s hair were handed over to the Ethiopian Ambassador and delivered to the Embassy in London. The Holy Tabot will be repatriated by the priests assigned by the Patriarchate within the next couple of months,” said Alula Pankhurst, a member of Ethiopia’s Heritages Restitution National Committee.
The transfer was made possible by the Scheherazade Foundation, which is dedicated to building bridges between cultures by striving toward shared values and know-how.
“In addition to the restitution of the alter tablet, a lock of hair from the Crown Prince Alemayehu the orphaned son of Emperor Tewodros II, will be returned to a delegation from the Ethiopian Embassy,” a statement from the Foundation said.
“We believe that the restitution of religious and cultural objects is a way of forging goodwill, of building bridges and of healing old wounds. It’s all about respect and is a celebration of future cooperation,” CEO and Founder of the Scheherazade Foundation, Tahir Shah, is quoted as saying in the statement.
“The items that have been repatriated were given to us by an Italian collector and a descendant of the guardian of Prince Alemayehu,” Shah said in an interview with bird.
“Because of how sacred the Tabot is, a private ceremony was held with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church priests,” Shah disclosed.
The Scheherazade Foundation was formed by Shah and his daughter and has repatriated more items in the past to Ethiopia.
“We have been very lucky that most collectors give these items back free of charge,” Shah said.
However, calls for the return of more stolen artefacts continue to ring from Ethiopia and elsewhere.
“The Patriarchate will continue to ask for the return of the Tabot arks held in Westminster Abbey and 11 in the British Museum. These religious artefacts are being prioritised,” Pankhurst said.
