🔗 Share this article

Exactly 12 cultural items have been officially returned to Ethiopia after staying by a German family for more than 100 years.

The treasures, first acquired in the early twentieth century by the German diplomat to Ethiopia Franz Weiss and his wife his partner, were delivered on Wednesday to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at the university in Addis Ababa.

The set featured royal crowns, shields and paintings, each regarded as historically valuable in Ethiopia.

"The treasures still stand as a mark of the long-standing and amicable ties between the German nation and the Ethiopian people," remarked Germany's envoy, the envoy to the East African country.

Professor a professor, whose parent was born during the household's service in Ethiopia, presented the objects at a ceremony joined by Tourism Minister the tourism official.

He stated that the family's goal to restore the artefacts was to "share their appeal with the audience and safeguard the heritage and history connected to my parent's beginning."

The items were either considered presents or purchases, according to the relatives.

"We would like to express gratitude to Professor Weiss's relatives for actively showing their profound love for the nation by carefully safeguarding these treasures and vitally securing their homecoming to their rightful nation," said the official.

She continued that the pieces would soon be made accessible to the public for research and educational purposes, describing the action a significant step in protecting the nation's historical legacy.

"Efforts are ongoing to return historical objects that are held in the possession of individuals and organizations around the globe," she said.

During colonial rule in the African continent, thousands of historical artefacts were taken.

This call by nations in Africa for the repatriation of taken artefacts has been answered with a degree of progress in the past few years - even if a number of artefacts are merely on temporary return.

Back in the year 2022, Germany was the first country to give back some of the well-known Benin Bronzes to the West African nation as part of an effort to deal with its "troubled colonial history."

Related Topics

• Cultural Return Efforts in the Continent
• The Impact of Colonial Past on Modern Ethiopian Heritage
• International Campaigns for the Restitution of Looted Artefacts