"Return our Artifacts": Ethiopia Challenges the United Kingdom

Ethiopia has officially called on the United Kingdom to return ancient artifacts taken from the country following the Anglo-Ethiopian War of 1868. The authorities are planning a campaign with the involvement of celebrities and an appeal to the British government, reports NewsBox.  

Ethiopia has launched a campaign to get back historical and cultural artifacts that were removed by Britain after the military expedition of 1868. The country's authorities, along with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, are determined to achieve the restitution of cultural monuments and sacred items, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.

The initiative will be spearheaded by the Heritage Management under the Ministry of Tourism. To reach this goal, plans include creating a petition, launching a large-scale PR campaign featuring prominent figures, and making an official appeal to the UK government. The grandson of Ethiopia's last emperor, Ermias Sahle-Selassie, has already made a plea to King Charles III for the return of these valuables.

The historic artifacts, which comprise ancient manuscripts, crosses, crowns, religious books, and tabots, were taken by British forces after the sacking of the fortress of Magdala. This occurred during an expedition organized by Britain in response to Emperor Tewodros II's seizure of European hostages. Many of these items are currently held in private collections, the British Museum, the Bodleian Library, the Royal Collection, and other institutions.

In October 2023, British academic Jacopo Gnisci acquired one such artifact—a tabot—with the intention to return it to Ethiopia. Previously, in 2021, the auction house Busby agreed to hand over stolen horn cups and a Coptic Bible following intervention by the Ethiopian embassy.