Ethiopia Welcomes Valuable Items Following a 100-Year Stay in German Hands

Exactly Twelve historical objects were officially given back to Ethiopia after remaining by a German family for over ten decades.

These treasures, originally collected in the early twentieth century by Germany's then-envoy to Ethiopia Franz Weiss and his wife Hedwig, were transferred on this past Wednesday to the research center at Addis Ababa University.

The assortment contained crowns, shields and canvases, all considered as historically valuable in the country.

"These treasures continue to serve as a emblem of the long-standing and positive connection between Germany and Ethiopia," said Germany's envoy, Germany's representative to Ethiopia.

Dr. Ramon Wyss, whose father was born during the family's assignment in Ethiopia, presented the artefacts at a ceremony joined by the Minister of Tourism the tourism official.

He said that the household's goal to return the items was to "share their beauty with the audience and safeguard the culture and history tied to my father's origin."

These artefacts were either donations or purchases, according to the family.

"We want to express gratitude to Professor Weiss's relatives for concretely showing their profound affection for the nation by carefully preserving these treasures and importantly ensuring their repatriation to their legitimate homeland," commented the minister of tourism.

She continued that the artefacts would shortly be made accessible to the general audience for research and scholarly work, terming the decision a landmark in preserving Ethiopia's historical legacy.

"Actions will continue to bring back historical objects that are located in the possession of collectors and institutions throughout the world," she said.

In the era of imperial control in the African continent, thousands of traditional objects were taken.

This request by African countries for the return of stolen items has been met with certain success in recent years - although several objects are merely on short-term display.

In the year 2022, Germany was the pioneering country to repatriate a portion of the famous historical items to the Nigerian people as part of an effort to deal with its "dark legacy."

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