Ethiopia Happy with Italian Plans to Return Ancient Obelisk

Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
10 Nov 2003, 15:26 UTC

The Ethiopian government says it is happy with plans to return an obelisk

that Italian troops took from Ethiopia 66 years ago.

Italian workers are in the process of dismantling the obelisk, estimated to

be 2,000 years old, which now sits in Rome. Italian troops stole the
landmark from the northern city of Axum in 1937, when dictator Benito
Mussolini ordered an invasion of Ethiopia. AP
Ethiopians in Rome
The obelisk's return has been the subject of a bitter feud between Ethiopia cheer preparation of
and Italy for at least 50 years. Agreements to return the obelisk were made, Obelisk for shipping
and not honored, several times.

But now the obelisk, which was originally carved from one stone, is being taken apart in the same
sections as it was transported in 66 years ago, in preparation for its journey back to Axum

A spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kinfe Nidaro, said the obelisk's return is
deeply significant. "It means just gaining back [Ethiopia's] heritage, its history, its culture. It is just
finding back what is lost, what is taken from it unjustly," he said.

Mr. Nidaro says it was a long struggle for Ethiopians to get the obelisk back. He says he does not
know the exact date the obelisk will arrive in Axum.

The return of antiquities is a big issue in many countries, as conquerors and former colonial powers
are coming under pressure to return items to several countries in Africa and elsewhere.