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Around 12 cultural artefacts have been ceremoniously returned to Ethiopia following remaining by a household from Germany for more than ten decades.

The items, first collected in the early twentieth century by the German then-envoy to Ethiopia a German envoy and his wife Hedwig, were handed over on Wednesday to the research center at Addis Ababa University.

This set contained crowns, shields and paintings, each regarded as culturally significant in the country.

"These artefacts continue to stand as a mark of the long-standing and amicable ties between the German nation and Ethiopia," remarked Ferdinand von Weyhe, the envoy to Ethiopia.

Professor Ramon Wyss, whose parent was delivered during the family's diplomatic posting in Ethiopia, presented the objects at a gathering attended by Tourism Minister the tourism official.

He said that the household's intention to return the artefacts was to "showcase their beauty with the audience and preserve the culture and past connected to my father's birth."

The artefacts were either considered gifts or purchases, as stated by the household.

"We would like to thank Professor Weiss's household for concretely showing their deep love for Ethiopia by carefully maintaining these items and importantly guaranteeing their return to their rightful nation," said the tourism minister.

She continued that the items would shortly be available to the public for research and academic study, calling the decision a landmark in protecting the nation's historical legacy.

"Efforts persist to return historical items that are held in the hands of individuals and institutions around the planet," she said.

During colonial rule in Africa, thousands of cultural artefacts were taken.

This call by the continent's states for the return of stolen artefacts has been met with a degree of success in lately - although several objects are just on loan.

In two years ago, the German government was the first state to give back a selection of the renowned Benin Bronzes to Nigeria in a bid to address its "complex colonial history."

Connected Themes

• Historical Return Movements in the Continent
• The Significance of Imperial History on Modern Ethiopian Heritage
• International Movements for the Return of Stolen Treasures