Return of Amulet puts pressure on British Museum to return other artefacts
Matthew Taylor
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=348137
Return of amulet puts pressure on British Museum
By Andrew Heavens in Addis Ababa
02 November 2002
A sacred amulet is due to be returned to Ethiopia today, 135 years after a
British soldier ripped it from the neck of the country's Emperor during a
battle.
An anonymous British man has agreed to hand over the artefact which was
taken at the siege of Magdala in 1868. The return will step up pressure on
the British Museum and other institutions which still hold hundreds of
illuminated manuscripts, crowns and religious objects seized at the same
time. It is also the latest in a line of controversies over the repatriation
of foreign treasures from Britain, including Nigeria's Benin Bronzes and the
Elgin Marbles.
Academics and historians at Addis Ababa University yesterday hailed the
handover as a significant victory for the country's century-old campaign for
the return of the Magdala plunder. Dr Richard Pankhurst, the son of the
suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst and a leading expert in Ethiopian history,
said: "This is an incredibly significant event. It highlights the fact that
all the loot has to be returned and will be returned.
"We see this as a matter of justice. Supposing British or Americans went
about looting monasteries, churches or palaces today. The whole world would
be outraged."
British troops invaded Ethiopia in December 1867 to free a number of
diplomats and missionaries imprisoned by Emperor Theodore II following a
dispute with the UK government. The British forces, led by Sir Robert
Napier, marched to the Emperor's mountain fortress at Magdala, north of the
modern-day capital Addis Ababa. The soldiers used their superior firepower
to defeat Theodore's troops in a decisive battle. The Emperor committed
suicide by firing a pistol into his mouth as the army stormed the base and
freed the captives. Journalists traveling with the force described how
soldiers started looting the fort and a nearby church. Many surrounded the
emperor's body, tearing off pieces of his robe and hair.
Professor Pankhurst said nothing was known of the amulet until the anonymous
donor contacted him earlier this year. A note attached to the artefact said
that Henry Bailey, a sapper with the Royal Engineers from Notting Hill, was
one of the first in to Magdala and took amulet from the Emperor's neck.
"This is what makes it particularly exciting," he added. "Emperor Theodore's
clothes were lost, his possessions were lost, but at least the amulet which
was round his neck has been preserved. He was a great man, a man of vision"
The amulet is thought to be the only remaining personal possession of the
Emperor who has become revered for his defiance against the British and for
his perceived choice of death over the dishonour of surrender. The artifact
takes the form of a simple leather pouch, containing a nine-inch-long slip
of parchment covered in Ge'ez - an ancient language still used by the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
The donor, who asked not to be named, is understood to have acquired it from
one of Sapper Bailey's descendants. He was inspired to hand it back by the
example of an Edinburgh priest who earlier this year returned an altar slab
also taken at Magdala. The slab or "tabot" had been donated to St John's
Episcopal church by another officer on the campaign.
The donor approached Dr Pankhurst, a leading member of AFROMET - the
Association for the Return of the Magdala Ethiopian Treasure. Dr Pankhurst
will today present it on his behalf to Addis Ababa University's Institute of
Ethiopian Studies which will display it at its museum. The amulet and the
altar slab are the first significant parts of the Magdala loot to be
returned to Ethiopia since Queen Elizabeth visited Addis in the 1960s and
handed over Emperor Theodore's royal seal.
AFROMET is now campaigning for the return of 10 other tabots kept at the
British Museum and part of a ceremonial drum, captured by the Royal Scots
Dragoon Guards.
It is also busy drawing up a database of all the outstanding loot which is a
lso thought to be in scores of private collections across Britain. To date,
they have met substantial opposition. The Dragoon Guards have agreed discuss
the issue. But the British Museum and the V&A have always maintained that
their constitutions bar them from permanently disposing of any parts of
their collection.
Back in Addis, AFROMET is not short of allies. Veterans of Ethiopia's war
with Mussolini's Fascist troops are the latest to join the battle. They have
just written to the Dragoon Guards, making a direct appeal, soldier to
soldier.
In the letter Astageke Abate, deputy president to the Association of
Ethiopian Patriots, states: "We hope that you will send Theodore's drum
home. It will create a greater link between our two countries than any
retention of the drum could ever achieve."