Special handover ceremony
Asfaw added that he was also concerned that the Dutch authorities would offer to loan the crown to Ethiopia, as happened with a Nigerian Benin bronze which the British Museum had offered to return temporarily to its owners. However, last year Asfaw approached the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to let them know he was in possession of the object. "Last year Asfaw got in touch through the mediation of art detective Arthur Brand, to discuss how to return this important cultural artefact to Ethiopia," the Ministry said in a statement. This kick-started a series of conversations that culminated in a special handover ceremony on Thursday where the Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed officially received the artifact. He thanked the Dutch government for bringing the "precious crown" home at an event that was also attended by Asfaw and Sigrid Kaag, Netherlands foreign trade and development cooperation minister. Kaag said the government was pleased to have expedited the "rightful return" of the artifact to Ethiopia. "We're honoured and delighted to have been able to facilitate the rightful return. This is the crowning achievement of returning this heritage to its rightful place," Kaag said in a statement. More western governments have pledged to return stolen African artifacts that were looted from the continent centuries ago.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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