Talks to return Ethiopian treasures

Ethiopian treasures may be returned - 19th October 2020

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London has opened talks with the Ethiopian embassy. It wants to return stolen treasure which was taken from Ethiopia over 150 years ago.

In 1868, the British army stole hundreds of Ethiopian items from the town of Maqdala. These treasures can be found in museums across the UK. The V&A has numerous items, including a gold crown and a royal wedding dress.

Ethiopia officially requested the return of hundreds of items in 2007. However, the UK government refused the request.

This week, deputy director of the V&A Tim Reeve explained that the museum wants to "decolonise" its history. It knows that the items were stolen rather than borrowed and tries to tell that story "very openly and very honestly".

The V&A is now discussing the return of the items with the Ethiopian government. One issue is that the V&A and other museums are not allowed to give back historical items permanently.

One solution could be to lend Ethiopia the treasure. The Ethiopian government has welcomed this suggestion.