Medal of Prince Damtew: Returns home required!

Medal of Prince Damtew: Returns home required!

A golden treasure from the past: The Kassa family is fighting for the return of a stolen medal of her war hero.

An outcry of the outrage echoes through the rows of descendants of one of the last great commanders Ethiopia! The medal of the fallen Prince Ras Desta Damtew, which once robbed him of Italian colonial troops, reappears after 87 years - and that in an auction house in Switzerland! The Kassa family, which was confronted with this shocking discovery, is determined to recover her grandfather's legacy.

Ras Desta Damtew, a brave leader who cited the Ethiopian troops during the Italian invasion of 1935, was captured in 1937 and executed. His heroic deeds are firmly anchored in Ethiopia's history, and his name is called pride and grief. "He was a legend," says Amaha Kassa, the prince's grandson. "We want this medal to return to an Ethiopian museum, not only for our family, but for the entire Ethiopian people."

a dramatic heir

The medal, which was offered at the auction for between 60,000 and 90,000 euros, comes from the estate of an Italian soldier who was involved in the prison of the prince. "It is outrageous that they use the circumstances of his death as a sales argument," says Kassa. "Would you do that with a Nazi object? It shows how little respect you have for African topics."

The history of the prince is one of courage and willingness to sacrifice. His father fell in the legendary Battle of Adwa, where the Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian invaders. Damtew's life was shaped by service and loyalty to the Ethiopian Empire, and his fight against the Italian occupation made him a symbol of African resistance.

The Kassa family is not ready to give up the medal without a fight. Shortly before the auction, they turned to the art recovery expert Christopher Marinello to stop the auction. "The family came to me and said, 'We are in panic',” reports Marinello. "They wanted to prevent the auction, so I accepted the case." But the gallery rejected the family's inquiries and instead demanded that they buy the medal.

an international echo

The news of the auction has triggered an international movement that fights for the return of stolen cultural assets. In Ethiopia, the wounds of the past are still noticeable, and the country demands the return of thousands of antiques that have been stolen during the colonial era. "The Vatican Library has over 300 Ethiopian manuscripts that were robbed during the crew," explains Alula Pankhurst, an expert in Ethiopian history.

The Kassa family has mobilized on social media to make the public aware of their cause. The Ethiopian embassy in Switzerland has also intervened to stop the auction. Although the medal was not sold, the question of origin and property remains controversial. "We don't believe that the auction houses wanted to cheat, but we are determined to find out the truth," says Kassa.

The medal, which may have been a gift from the emperor to Damtew, could be a valuable piece of history. "If it is out of solid gold, it could be of great importance for Ethiopian history," says Gregory Copley, consultant for the Ethiopian crown council. "The likelihood that it was illegally acquired is extremely high."

The Kassa family does not give up. "After all the victims my grandfather brought, it is the least we can do to bring this piece of history back to Ethiopia," says Kassa. It is a struggle for her family's legacy and the legacy of the Ethiopian people - a struggle that touches the hearts of many and reminds the world of the dark chapters of colonial history.

-transmitted by West-Ost-Medien