France has recently returned three ancient artifacts to Ethiopia, dating back between one and two million years. The items, which include two prehistoric stone axes and a stone cutter, were handed over by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to Ethiopia’s Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa during a symbolic ceremony at the National Museum of Ethiopia last week.
The three artifacts were part of a collection of around 3,500 items stored at the French embassy in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. It remains unclear whether other artifacts are scheduled to be returned to the Ethiopian government. Laurent Serrano, cultural advisor at the French embassy in Ethiopia, clarified to Arab News that the move was “a handover, not a restitution, as these objects have never been part of French public collections.” Serrano further explained that these artifacts, which date back between 1 and 2 million years, were discovered during excavations conducted over several decades at a site near the Ethiopian capital.
In addition, Barrot unveiled a €7 million initiative called “Sustainable Heritage in Ethiopia,” aimed at preserving and restoring Ethiopia’s historic sites. One of the prominent projects under this initiative includes the renovation of the 12th- and 13th-century cave churches of Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which was taken over by rebel forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region in 2021.
Regarding the broader issue of restitution, there is still significant frustration. Despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 announcement to return African heritage to the continent, there has been growing impatience over the lack of progress in the years since. A date has yet to be set for the debate of a bill addressing the return of colonial-era artifacts in the French National Assembly, according to ARTnews.
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