In what is the latest development regarding artifacts repatriation, an 18th century Ethiopian crown that was found decades ago in the Netherlands has been sent back to Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s president, Abiy Ahmed, who received the crown on Thursday, took to Twitter to announce the development.
“Today Ethiopia receives a precious crown stolen several years ago and taken to the Netherlands. I am grateful to Sirak Asfaw and the Netherlands government for facilitating its return,” the Nobel Prize-winning president wrote on Twitter.
According to BBC, Sirak Asfaw, a former refugee who fled Ethiopia in the 70s, had discovered the relic in a visitor’s suitcase in 1998. He reportedly kept the piece for two decades before reporting to the Dutch art authorities last year.
The crown is one of only 20 in existence and features intricate Biblical depictions of Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit. Historians believe it was given to the church by the warlord, Welde Sellase, several centuries ago.
The crown is just one of hundreds of thousand reportedly looted African cultural relics believed to be housed in Western institutions and by private owners abroad.
Items recently returned include a 15th century Namibian stone cross that was stolen by German invaders in the 17th century, and a 19th century sword that was returned to Senegal from France last November.
