Afromet
AFROMET ( acronym for Association For the Return Of the Magdala Ethiopian Treasures ) is an Ethiopian organization that brings Ethiopian art and cultural goods stolen from the British back to Ethiopia or tries to bring them back.
history
After the Battle of Magdala in 1868, the victorious British troops looted the mountain fortress of the same name, in which the Ethiopian ruler Tewodros II had entrenched himself. The British loot included many books and artifacts , some of which are still kept in English museums today.
In the middle of the 20th century the opinion emerged that looting should be prohibited, and this was also decided in the 4th Geneva Agreement . A problem arose with regard to those goods that had been stolen prior to the entry into force of this agreement.
course
The Ethiopian government requested the return of the captured art and cultural goods. Small successes have been achieved, but much remains to be done with regard to the restitution of these goods.
AFROMET was formed to achieve the voluntary return of the items by legal means and general pressure. So far ten items have been returned from private donors, including two handwritten psalms , two tabots and a sign . More than 460 items are still in British possession.
Individual evidence
- ^ Richard Pankhurst: Ethiopian Cultural Restitution