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Rare Ethiopian manuscript stolen by British forces triggers restitution row
A sacred book looted by British forces from an Ethiopian king has prompted an intense ownership dispute after it resurfaced in a private sales catalogue nearly 160 years after it was stolen.
The Gondarine Gospel, an ancient bible originally in the possession of Emperor Tewodros II, was listed among rare books meant to be sold at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. It was listed for sale at $250,000.
Ethiopian authorities have urgently requested that the relic be removed and returned on ‘moral and ethical’ grounds.
The matter has provoked calls for wider-scale restitution of looted artefacts in Ethiopia. It has also reignited ongoing global debates over the responsibility of Western museums and collectors to return hundreds of thousands of Africa’s stolen treasures.