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Precious artefacts looted in 1868 war with Britain returned to Ethiopia

Precious artefacts looted in 1868 war with Britain returned to Ethiopia

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…
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‘Restitution’ of looted African art just continues colonial policies – much more is at stake

‘Restitution’ of looted African art just continues colonial policies – much more is at stake

THE violence of the past is far from over. But it is disguised in many ways, made invisible and normalised. What started with the Spanish, Portuguese or the Ottoman empires continued with the British, French and Russian empires, and now the United States. Imperial political violence continues today in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, and Iran, to name but a few. One of the disguises is “restitution”. Author FAZIL MORADI, Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, University of Johannesburg I’m a scholar of what I understand as catastrophic art – artworks which were made in worlds that…
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