What's the story of the crown?
Mr Sirak left his home country in 1978 to escape the political repression of the Communist government, or Derg, which had come to power in 1974. The regime unleashed a wave of violence known as the Red Terror, which killed hundreds of thousands and forced many to leave. The former refugee used to host Ethiopians who had left the country in his Rotterdam flat throughout the 1980s and 1990s. "Friends, refugees, whoever," he said. It was one of these visitors staying at his home in 1998 who was carrying the crown in his bag. "Most people don't really care about this cultural heritage," he said. "I'm loyal to Ethiopia." Mr Sirak confronted the man and insisted the crown was not leaving unless it could be returned to its home. The crown is currently being stored in a high-security facility in the Netherlands After asking for help on internet forums - which yielded no useful answers - he decided the best course of action was to hold onto the crown until he knew it would be safe. "You end up in such a suffocating situation, not knowing who to tell or what to do, or to hand over," he said. "And of course afraid that the Dutch government might confiscate it." "I had fire alarms all over my house, eight or something like that. Really scared!" But with the end of the former regime and the election of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last year, Mr Sirak felt the time was right to have a piece of Ethiopia's history return to Addis Ababa. He contacted Arthur Brand, known as the "Indiana Jones of the art world", for help returning it home. "I explained to him, look, either the crown will disappear or you [will], if you continue like this," Mr Brand told the BBC. "I said if the people who were involved at the time got knowledge of it, the risk was that they would come back and would take the crown from him." Abiy Amed became Ethiopia's prime minister in April 2018 With the consent of the Dutch police, the art hunter placed the artifact in a secure facility. An expert confirmed it was genuine, and Mr Brand decided the best course of action was to announce it publicly. "It's an a amazing piece. It's very big, I feel pity for the people who had to wear it on their heads because when you wear this for a couple of hours your neck hurts," he said. Both men are waiting for the Ethiopian government to get in touch with the Dutch authorities to plan the return of the crown. "I want this crown to be a symbol of unity and togetherness," Mr Sirak said. "The crown will be celebrated by all of us Ethiopians, even Africans."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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