Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA
A rare and looted crown
from the 18th century was returned to Ethiopia on Thursday after it was
discovered in the Netherlands two decades ago.
A stolen ceremonial crown is handed over to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in front of Dutch politician Sigrid Kaag and Sirak Asfaw. February 20, 2020 |
The Dutch
government facilitated the handover “with the belief that it has a duty to
restitute this important artifact back to Ethiopia,” the office of Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed said, sharing photos of a smiling Abiy holding the
ceremonial crown.
“This is a
historic day for us,” Hirut Kassaw, Ethiopia’s minister for culture and
tourism, told The Associated Press.
The
religious crown went missing in 1993 and was discovered in Rotterdam in
October. “I still don’t know how this crown and the other items were looted and
taken out of Ethiopia,” the culture minister said, adding that several other
items were stolen including a cross.
Ethiopia,
like many African nations, has been outspoken about seeing artifacts returned
home from museums and private owners around the world. Last year the National
Army Museum in Britain said it would return two locks of
hair from the widely revered Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros.
The Dutch
government in a statement Thursday said the crown was the property of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It said the crown went missing from the Holy Trinity
Church in the village of Cheleqot.
For years
the crown was in the hands of Sirak Asfaw, a Dutch national of Ethiopian
origin, the statement said. He reached out to the foreign ministry last year
“through the mediation of art detective Arthur Brand, to discuss how to return
this important cultural artifact.”
“He told us
someone gave him to look after it. But after realizing it was of Ethiopian
origin, he refused to return it back to the owner and kept it for 21 years,”
the culture minister said.
The crown is
on display at Ethiopia’s national museum in the capital, Addis Ababa, for a few
days and then will be returned to its original place in the church in Cheleqot,
the minister said.
The Dutch
minister for foreign trade, Sigrid Kaag, attended the handover ceremony.
“We’re
honored and delighted to have been able to facilitate the rightful return,”
Kaag said. - AP
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