- AFROMET
AFROMET ("A"ssociation "F"or the "R"eturn "O"f the "M"agdala "E"thiopian "T"reasures) is an organization seeking the return of looted treasures to Ethiopia.
History
After the
Battle of Magdala in1868 , the victorious British expedition looted a great many books and artifacts not only from the city of Maqdala but also from the church Ethiopean Christian church ofMedhane Alem .cite web
url=http://www.afromet.org/history/
title=Maqdala and its loot
author=Pankhurst, Richard
accessdate=July 8|accessyear=2008
publisher=Institute of Ethiopian Studies ]According to
Henry M. Stanley , the loot included "an infinite variety of gold, and silver and brass crosses", as well as "heaps of parchment royally illuminated". Fifteen elephants and almost two hundred mules were required to bear the loot to the nearby Dalanta Plain for auction.Richard Holmes , then Assistant in the British Museum's Department of Manuscripts, purchased 350 manuscripts and various solid goods, such as the crown of theAbun (Head of the Ethiopian Church).Most of the loot is still missing; some of it is known to be held in public collections such as the
British Museum . For example, manuscript in theBodleian Library a pencil note: "taken from a church at Maqdala in 1868".In the mid-20th century, world law and opinion gradually came to ban
looting , most notably codified in theFourth Geneva Convention . A problem remained as to the status of goods looted previously. A number of efforts to return cultural items grew up around the world, of which AFROMET is one.Progress
The Ethiopean government started requesting the return of the looted goods within three years of the battle, with some small successcite web
url=http://www.addistribune.com/Archives/2004/06/04-06-04/An.htm
title=Ethiopian Cultural Restitution
author=Pankhurst, Richard
year=2006
accessdate=February 04|accessyear=2007
publisher= [http://www.addistribune.com/ Addis Tribune] ] . However, progress in general was slow.Lady
Valorie Meux bequeathed her collection of Ethiopian manuscripts to EmperorMenilek II , but her will was overturned shortly after her death in 1910, on the grounds that Menilek was dead when Lady Meux died (which, in fact, was untrue; he died in 1913 and, at any rate, he had heirs).The British Government occasionally returned some of the looted items. In 1965,
Queen Elizabeth II returned to EmperorHaile Sellassie the royal cap and seal of Tewodros II.AFROMET was formed to systematically lobby for the repatriation of the objects, using legal means and public pressure. So far 10 items have been returned by private donors including a hand-written Book of
Psalms , twoTabot s and a shield. More than 460 items are still being claimed.References
External links
* [http://www.afromet.org AFROMET]
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