Talks to return Ethiopian treasures

Ethiopian treasures may be returned - 19th October 2020

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London has begun a dialogue with the Ethiopian embassy over returning stolen treasures looted by British soldiers more than a century and a half ago.

Among the items are an ornate gold crown and a royal wedding gown. In 2007, Ethiopia submitted an official claim for the return of hundreds of historical relics, but the request was rejected.

Tim Reeve, the deputy director of the V&A, commented that the new talks were part of the museum's work to "decolonise" its history. He said, “There’s no dispute about whether or not they were borrowed; they were looted and that’s a story we have tried to tell very openly and very honestly at the V&A.”

The museum is now in close conversation with the Ethiopian embassy to figure out how these artefacts might make their way back to Africa. The V&A and similar institutions are forbidden to return any items for good. A solution to this may be a long-term loan, a proposal that has been well received by the Ethiopian state and campaigners.

In 1868, the British military looted hundreds of Ethiopian artefacts from Maqdala during a conflict. The artefacts are currently scattered over dozens of institutions across the UK, including the British Museum and the British Library in London, the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and the Bodleian Library in Oxford.