France has initiated the process of returning around 3,500 archaeological artefacts to Ethiopia in what has been termed a long-awaited step in their many decades of cooperation in archaeology and paleontology.
The handover occurred during French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s visit to Addis Ababa as part of his first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa. Artefacts discovered at the Melka Kunture site near the Ethiopian capital are between 1 and 2 million years old, and include prehistoric tools such as bifaces and a stone cutter.
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Contrary to the case of restitution of colonial-era artefacts, these items never constituted part of France’s public collections. French authorities underline this as a “handover” of the artifacts underlining that they will also always be part of the rich heritage of Ethiopia.
The artifacts had arrived in France during the 1980s for research and today would prove the deep archaeological bonds that lie between the two countries, a handover perfectly symptomatic. The entire collection is due next Tuesday to be shipped to the Heritage Directorate of Ethiopia.
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Improving Bilateral Relations
The return of the artefacts underlines the spirit of cooperation between France and Ethiopia. For decades, researchers from France have joined Ethiopians in digs seeking to understand early human lives. The site of the Melka Kunture archaic site, one of the most important concentrations of prehistoric sites south of the capital Addis Ababa, has been a central base for this cooperation.
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These elements enrich not only the national historic heritage of Ethiopia but also at the same time demonstrate the seriousness with which France takes adherence to ethical archaeological practices concerning artifacts of African heritage.
The Diplomatic Context of the Visit
Barrot’s visit to Ethiopia also touched on wider issues outside archaeology: humanitarian responses to the Sudan crisis and international institutional reforms, such as African representation in the United Nations. France reaffirmed its support for granting Africa two permanent seats in the UN Security Council, a position shared by the African Union in its call for more representative global governance structures.
