Sirak Asfaw (L) and Arthur Brand say they are waiting for the Ethiopian government to get in touch
ROTTERDAM (Netherlands), Oct 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An 18th Century Ethiopian crown will finally be returned home after being hidden in a Dutch flat for 21 years.
Ethiopian Sirak Asfaw, who fled to the Netherlands in the late 1970s, discovered the crown in the suitcase of a visitor and realised it was stolen.
The management consultant has protected it until he felt safe to send it back.
“Finally it is the right time to bring back the crown to its owners – and the owners of the crown are all Ethiopians,” he said.
The crown is thought to be one of just 20 in existence. It has depictions of Jesus Christ, God and the Holy Spirit, as well as Jesus’ disciples, and was likely gifted to a church by the powerful warlord Welde Sellase hundreds of years ago.
It is currently being stored at a high security facility until it can be safely returned.
Sirak left his home country in 1978 to escape the political repression of the Communist government, or Derg, which had come to power in 1974. The regime unleashed a wave of violence known as the Red Terror, which killed hundreds of thousands and forced many to leave.
The former refugee used to host Ethiopians who had left the country in his Rotterdam flat throughout the 1980s and 1990s. “Friends, refugees, whoever,” he said. It was one of these visitors staying at his home in 1998 who was carrying the crown in his bag.
Sirak confronted the man and insisted the crown was not leaving unless it could be returned to its home.
After asking for help on internet forums – which yielded no useful answers – he decided the best course of action was to hold onto the crown until he knew it would be safe.
With the election of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last year, Sirak felt the time was right to have a piece of Ethiopia’s history return to Addis Ababa.
He contacted Arthur Brand, known as the “Indiana Jones of the art world”, for help returning it home.
With the consent of the Dutch police, the art hunter placed the artefact in a secure facility. An expert confirmed it was genuine, and Brand decided the best course of action was to announce it publicly.
Both men are waiting for the Ethiopian government to get in touch with the Dutch authorities to plan the return of the crown.
“I want this crown to be a symbol of unity and togetherness,” Sirak said. “The crown will be celebrated by all of us Ethiopians, even Africans.” — NNN-AGENCIES
