Germany has returned 12 cultural artefacts to Ethiopia in a ceremony at Addis Ababa University, officials said on Wednesday (November 19) in a move both countries described as strengthening cultural ties.
The items, which include shields, crowns and paintings reflecting Ethiopian royal traditions, were brought to Germany in the 1920s by Fritz Weiss, a German diplomat who served in Ethiopia.
The handover took place at Ras Makonnen Hall and was attended by Ethiopian government officials, diplomats and academics.
“They include gifts from Regent Tafari Makonnen, as well as items commissioned or purchased by Franz and his wife, Hedwig. Among them are two crowns, decorated shields, a sword and a belt, and different paintings,” Ethiopian Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa said.
Professor Ramon Wyss, Weiss’s grandson, presented the collection to Dr Yohannes Adigeh, Director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies.
“My grandparents came to Ethiopia in 1921 and left in 1928. Almost 100 years ago, taking with them gifts from the emperor and items they had purchased,” Prof Wyss said.
The German Embassy in Addis Ababa organized the return in partnership with the Institute of Ethiopian Studies.
An exhibition titled “Ethiopia in the 1920s through the eyes of a German diplomat” is scheduled to open at the Goethe-Institut on November 20, featuring 51 photographs from the private collection of Fritz and Hedwig Weiss.
The return of the artefacts comes amid growing international pressure on Western institutions to repatriate cultural objects taken from Africa during the colonial era, though the circumstances under which Weiss acquired the items were not detailed.
SOURCE:Reuters