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A total of 12 cultural items were officially restored to the Ethiopian nation following being kept by a household from Germany for more than ten decades.

The treasures, first gathered in the 1920's by Germany's then-envoy to Ethiopia Franz Weiss and his wife Hedwig, were delivered on this past Wednesday to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at the university in Addis Ababa.

This collection included headpieces, shields and canvases, all considered as culturally valuable in the nation.

"These items continue to represent a emblem of the enduring and amicable ties between the German nation and the Ethiopian people," said the German diplomat, the envoy to the East African country.

Professor Ramon Wyss, whose father was born during the household's assignment in the nation, delivered the artefacts at a event witnessed by the Minister of Tourism Selamawit Kassa.

He said that the family's aim to restore the items was to "showcase their splendor with the public and preserve the culture and past linked to my father's beginning."

The items were either considered presents or purchases, according to the family.

"I would like to thank the Weiss household for practically expressing their profound affection for Ethiopia by carefully safeguarding these artifacts and vitally securing their repatriation to their rightful homeland," said the minister of tourism.

She noted that the pieces would shortly be made accessible to the people for study and educational purposes, terming the action a significant step in protecting the nation's national treasures.

"Initiatives persist to repatriate ancient items that are located in the hands of private persons and organizations throughout the planet," the minister stated.

During colonialism in Africa, numerous of traditional artefacts were plundered.

The call by African countries for the return of stolen artefacts has been responded to by certain positive outcomes in the past few years - though a number of artefacts are merely on short-term display.

Back in the year 2022, Germany was the first state to return a selection of the renowned historical items to Nigeria as part of an effort to confront its "troubled colonial history."

Related Themes

• Historical Restoration Movements in the Continent
• The Significance of Imperial Past on Contemporary African Culture
• Global Movements for the Return of Looted Artefacts