The British Museum is facing calls from one of its own former curators to return sacred tablets to Ethiopia. “Following an undertaking given by the British Museum, nobody but priests of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church ever will.”It has been argued that the British Museum Act of 1963 prevents treasures housed in museums from being given away unless in specific circumstances, such as when they are “unfit to be retained”. The Tabots are among artefacts seized by the British in the 1868 Battle of Magdala. The British Museum Act restricts their ability to hand back almost every item in the collection, but not the Tabots. “The Tabots can be released now without a change in the Act, simply by the trustees recognising they are unfit to be retained.

Source: Ethiopian News September 13, 2023 10:58 UTC