Ethiopian Minister Request British Museum to Return Replicas of the Ark of Covenant and Other Manuscripts

Menetasnot Desta  – Chief Administrator of the OCP Amharic Service- OCP News Service – 22/3/19

London-UK: Ethiopian Minister of Culture and Ark of Covenant Tourism- Dr. Hirut Kassaw requested the Museums (Victoria and Albert Museum) to return 11 replicas of the Ark of the Covenant, (which are currently held at the Museum), emphasizing that the Arks are more than artifacts. She made the request during the ‘ceremony of receiving’ the locks of the hair of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia in London on 20^th March 2019.

The Minister formally requested the Museum to return 11 replica Arks of the Covenant, which are currently in the possession of the Museum, stating that the Arks are spiritual anchors for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The Minister urged the Museum’s Trustees to act on this request so that the Arks of the Covenant as well as different manuscripts of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church could be returned to their rightful owners in Ethiopia. Prelates of the Ethiopian Orthodox dioceses, Ethiopian Ambassador, diplomats, members of the ‘heritage return committee’ and Ethiopian communities in London took part in the event. The locks of hair (belonging to Emperor Tewodros II) were removed by a member of the British expeditionary force led by Field Marshal Robert Cornelius Napier after the Emperor chose to commit suicide rather than surrendering to the British forces at the battle of Maqdala in 1868.

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Source:
OCP News Service