Ethiopia has retrieved its exiled Aksum obelisk after decades of frustrating effort, broken promises and the vagaries of time. The repatriation of this iconic relic of ancient Ethiopia has galvanized the nation into seeking the full restitution of the far flung human, artistic and literary treasures. Chief among them which are the remains of Prince Alemayahu, son of Emperor Tewodros and Empress Tiruwork. It is highly timely and gratifying at this juncture in our history, that along with other ancient personalities, that the millennium authorities and last but not least, President Girma himself are at the forefront of efforts to repatriate the remains of young Alemayehu.
Hannah Strange’s Article
“Over a century has passed since Ethiopia’s boy prince was seized by the British Army and brought to England, only to die a decade later broken-hearted, an orphan in a foreign land. But his homeland has never forgotten him.
“Now officials in Addis Ababa are stepping up efforts to have Prince Alemayehu’s remains repatriated from their Windsor Castle tomb, to lie once again in his native soil. With Millennium celebrations approaching – Ethiopia follows its own calendar – the ancient land, one of the earliest Christian kingdoms, is mounting a push to retrieve artefacts looted by invaders and explorers.
“‘There is no way that this generation would allow for an Ethiopian prince and a prisoner of war to remain on foreign land as we close the second millennium,”’said Mulugeta Asarate, vice president of Ethiopia’s millennium committee.
“Ethiopia’s President Wolde-Giorgis Girma had written a letter to the Queen requesting his repatriation, Mr Asarete disclosed.
“Prince Alemayehu was born in 1861 to Empress Tiruwork and Emperor Tewodros, who claimed descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. In 1868, in response to the imprisonment of British officials in the country, invading British forces stormed the imperial fortress of Magdala. The emperor committed suicide rather than surrender, while his wife and child were captured and transported to Britain as trophies; however the empress died during the journey for unknown reasons.
“The orphan prince, of whom Queen Victoria reportedly became very fond, was given into the care of British officer Tristram Speedy and educated at Rugby and later Sandhurst military academy. However he never quite managed the intended conversion into an English gentleman and became increasingly lonely over the years. Alemayehu had barely reached adulthood when he died of pneumonia at the age of 18 in Leeds, a month after a request to return to Ethiopia had been rejected.
“According to a book by Ethiopian academic Mandefro Belayneh, Queen Victoria lamented the sadness of his situation, writing in her diary after his death: “His was no happy life, full of difficulties of every kind, and he was so sensitive, thinking that people stared at him because of his colour, that I fear he would never have been happy.”
“She is quoted as describing the youth as ‘a pretty, polite, graceful boy with beautiful eyes and a nice nose and nice teeth, though the lips are slightly thick … There is nothing whatever of the Negro about him.”
While the life of Prince Alemayehu is regarded in Britain as little more than a colonial curiosity, in Ethiopia, where he was viewed as a near divinity, his seizure as an exotic spoil of war is keenly felt in the national psyche. His tomb has been visited by numerous Ethiopian dignitaries, including current Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the late emperor Haile Selassie.
“When we look at our past, we see wrongs that need to be put right,” said Asarate. “The president’s letter was reflecting the wishes and desires of the people of Ethiopia to see the remains of a one-time prisoner of war return and unite with his father in burial.” Negotiations with British officials were ongoing, he added.
“The bid for his repatriation is part of a broader attempt to retrieve looted pieces of Ethiopia’s heritage. The country has already recovered an obelisk from the northern town of Axum, plundered by Italy in 1937 and erected in Rome for over 65 years. Various other artefacts, including replicas of the Ark of the Covenant, have also been returned.
“However it seems Ethiopia may not have such success with the Prince’s remains. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told Times Online that although she could not comment on the Queen’s private correspondence, there were ‘considerable practical difficulties’ around his removal. Buried in the royal crypt in St George’s Chapel, opening his tomb would result in damage to the structure of the building and to other resting places, she said.
“He has been treated with respect and dignity by giving him this last resting place,” she added.
Belayneh’s book quotes Queen Victoria as being “very grieved and shocked” when she learned of the prince’s tragic death”.
“It is too sad,” she wrote, “all alone in a strange country, without seeing a relative … so young and so good.”
Comment
The Buckingham Palace observation that Alemayehu’s return might endanger the structure of George’s Chapel is of course diplomatic nonsense. We were previously told that the prince’s remains could not be returned because it was not possible for the authorities in Windsor to identify the bones.
That argument was scotched when it was pointed out that they could be identified by DNA.
One wonders what kind of structure it is that can so easily be disturbed.
Those of us who ponder such questons recall the words of Bismarck, who once declared,”I never believe any statement until it is officially denied.”
This article prompted the following two comments:
“PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING! The prince’s remains should be where it should be – with his father, and families and his God given land – in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has officially requested the remains. It did so in a civilized manner. It did not kidnap British citizens in Ethiopia and demand the remains be returned. Please let one sad chapter in both Ethiopia and UK be closed. RETURN THE REMAINS OF PRINCE ALEMAYEHU”.
Mimi, Vancouver, BC, Canada
“For us, Ethiopians, the return of the Prince Alemayehu’s body, the son of one of the most respected Kings of Ethiopia, to his beloved country soil is more than a lot. But he might not have any value more than history for the royal family of England. So please in the name of The Almighty God, king of Ethiopia, Jesus Christ, let the body of our beloved prince to come to his beloved country and rest in the soil where his beloved father rested in peace. In advance we, Ethiopians would like to thank the British Government and Royal family for their positive and wise actions in returning the body to the soil and people, where and for whom it belongs”.
Tadesse, Nefasmewucha, Ethiopia
Gabriel Berhanu and the Westminster Abbey
Gabriel Berhanu, the nine-year-old London schoolboy who wrote to Tony Blair demanding the return of the loot from Maqdala, has meanwhile had his tenth birthday – and has gone to Westminster Abbey to request the return to Ethiopia of a tabot, or altar slab, which was looted from Maqdala – and is currently in the Abbey
Gabriel took with him a Petition, and was received in his office by the institution’s Receiver General- Major General David Burden CB, CBE, who stated that the Abbey was sympathetic to Gabriel’s request, and promised that the Abbey would ‘seek advice’.
(Originally published in Capital newspaper)
Richard Pankhurst 
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