FLavius Valerius Constantinus Posted January 11, 2006 Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 Link to full article Elias Wondimu has heard that Italian leaders want North America's museums to hand back dozens of artifacts that came from Italian soil, and he's not ready to argue about that. But, says Wondimu, a 32-year-old Ethiopian expatriate in Hollywood and publisher of history books, if there's going to be a global debate over Italy and cultural patrimony, he has three words to contribute: "Obelisk of Axum." The Obelisk of Axum is an elaborately inscribed stone monolith, 78 feet from base to tip, that spent most of the 20th century in the middle of a busy Roman piazza. In the eyes of many an Ethiopian, it's 180 tons of evidence that 20th century Italy snapped up treasures in Ethiopia, then resisted their return for half a century with the same lawless zeal that Italian leaders accuse U.S. museums of displaying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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