[CPProt.net] The British House of Commons, the Axum Obelisk, and "Patent Absurdity" of retaining the Maqdala Loot

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

The British House of Commons, the Axum Obelisk, and "Patent Absurdity" of
retaining the Maqdala Loot
August 5, 2005
 
A dramatic turn of events has taken place on a Select Committee of the
British House of Commons, which has been discussing the loot from Maqdala in
the light of the imminent return from Italy of the Axum Obelisk.

This discussion was initiated by AFROMET, the Association for the Return of
Maqdala Loot, which has been campaigning, as most readers will be aware, for
the return to Ethiopia of the loot from Emperor Tewodros's citadel at
Maqdala, taken by British troops in 1868. AFROMET emphasises that the
looting of Maqdala was entirely unjustified in international law, and that,
since a large part of the booty was seized from the church of Madhane Alam,
it was in fact an act of sacrilege.  

AFROMET has petitioned the Queen of England, the British House of Commons,
and other institutions. The Association's testimony on the loot from Maqdala
was duly published in the House of Commons Cultural Property: Return and
Illicit Trade Seventh Report, Vol. III.


New Developments

The question of the Maqdala loot has now come up again in the House of
Commons Select Committee on Cultural Objects. In its recently released
official report of 16 December 2003 includes an important section on "sacred
objects" in which it discusses British Museum holdings of Ethiopian cultural
property, and, imlicitly supporting the views of AFROMET, states:: .


"Magdala Treasures

"As the previous Committee identified, there has been consensus over the 

need to treat claims for the restitution of human remains and spoliation as 

special categories. There are strong arguments, which the HRWG acknowledges 

implicitly, that sacred objects should be added to this list. One example of


a claim involving indisputably sacred objects concerns the "Magdala 

treasures". In 1868 Sir Robert Napier headed a British expedition which 

looted, then burned, Magdala, Emperor Tewodros' mountain stronghold in 

north-western Ethiopia. This sacking extended to the nearby Church of  

Madhane Alam. In accordance with common practice the collected loot was 

auctioned soon after to raise prize-money for the enlisted men and 

contemporary accounts indicate that Richard Holmes, Assistant in the British


Museum's Department of Manuscripts "armed with ample funds". out-bid all in
most things" on behalf of the museum. There are Ethiopian religious and 

royal artifacts scattered around the world in private and public collections

" The objects sought  most ardently by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are, 

perhaps, the Tabots which focus the presence of God in every Ethiopian 

church and are held in the greatest reverence as symbolic of the Ark in the 

Jewish Temple. The British Museum does not display the Tabots within its 

collection, paradoxically, in deference to the practice of the Ethiopian 

Church. A number of Magdala artefacts have been returned from other 

collections and sources over the years and we note, parenthetically, that 

the Italian Government has begun to work on returning the iconic Axum 

Obelisk which was looted by Mussolini's army in 1937. We believe there to be


a patent absurdity in a situation where the British Museum does not display 

artefacts - out of due deference to other cultural and religious values -  

but is not in a position even to consider returning them. We hope that the 

British Museum's legal consultations have this case in mind as well as human


remains"

 

Comment

 

Though the Report focuses on the Tabots currently held in the British
Museum, it should be emphsised that the loot from Maqdala still in Britain
includes many other articles, including numerous crosses and manuscripts -
the latter of immense historical importance, as well as a gold crown  and a
chalice, two silver royal drums and colourful royal tents - and part of
Tewodros's hair and clothing.

The Select Committee must now turn to these items too!n