Claiming history: the young Afromet unit making a voice to restore the maqdala treasure
By Tibebeselassie Tigabu
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia- the highly prestigious king who is recalled even in this generation Emperor Thewodros, a man who tried to unify Ethiopia after the zemene mesafint [age of the princess], which is often referred to the Dark Age in Ethiopian history.  Many people were inspired by him where one witnessed progress in Ethiopian folklores, literature, songs and also his famous saying ‘Husband of Ethiopia, ‘Fiancé of Jerusalem’, which created a religious, historical tie between the Ethiopian and the Israelites for generations to come.
Even if he was a controversial person in his last regime where he brutally tortured and killed many people, he is still a symbol of identity, unity that’s how people remember him.
His life was filled in a bloody war with local lords and also foreigners and as we recall the history when Thewodros put in Jail the European missionaries where in result England invaded Ethiopia that resulted in the king’s suicide and also the killing of many civilians, the lootings of Ethiopian treasures.
The British actually looted treasure carried away with 15 elephants and 200 mules which included ancient religious manuscripts amounting to 350, a crown, a chalice, silver processional crosses., crowns, archbishops’ crown, Adulis fragments, Dundee scroll, Gold chalice, king’s Own Bible were some of the things which are known but they also took the tabots ‘arches’ and also burned down the churches.
 The injustice has been done where they put the people’s identity also in jeopardy and now this generation is fighting the injustice and asking to return back our legacy, representation of identity, our roots which they took it by force.
Even if many scholars wrote about it there was no significant change in that and a committee was established a couple of years ago Afromet (Association of the return of maqdala Ethiopian treasures) and the founders were Ras Tagasa King, chairman of EWF (Ethiopian world federation), pr Andreas Eshete (president of Afromet), Richard Pankrust (Vice president of Afromet).
Now after more than a century the juveniles are claiming their history paying tributes to the ancestors who fought for this country and who spilled their blood to protect Ethiopia, the land of the protectorate.
   The young group came about a couple of months ago and started fundraising concert where they use music as a way of creating a motion to the youth but also to create a new form of music scene in Addis.
‘All this promotional materials is to cause awareness so people can get to know the history and it is not the history some thing it is just present, something that we are trying to secure the future of Ethiopia’s integrity and to bring home a national heritage.’ Reveals Kapo Israel, chairman of the Juvenile unit
 They do a weekly show every Saturday at Grazmach Tase cultural centre, located around Kazanchis, in a motto entitled ‘we want it back’ as Israel states since its start many people are coming where they created awareness among the youth to know their roots and history.
‘ They took away the history from us when they take away the history from us…they take the identity of the people that’s why they call it neo-colonialism where they take the identity and later on they fill the gap with MTV and Coca-cola and now we want to be some body else because we don’t know ourselves.’ States Kapo Israel
Apart from campaigning for the restitution of the maqdala treasure, this place is also a stage where young talents is being promoted and also giving a chance for musicians who resided here or for local artists to come and to play their music.
‘We are catering for musicians in Ethiopia, promoting them as well as to let their talent to be a voice for our cause. There are many talented musicians here in Addis who are unnoticed, underground and unheard, unappreciated because the radio don’t play their music. We appreciate them and we recognise them’ says Kapo Israel
 ‘Local vocal chart’ is part of the weekly show where the audience nominate their favourites artists so there will be a ‘box office’ for the Ethiopian music.
 ‘ They have been doing these for sometimes and as the proverb says ‘ the glory of the young man is their strength and the beauty of the old man is their grey hair’. These established old men gave it to the young people who have the strength the endeavours of the Afromet. We are basically continuing what they are doing’ states Kapo Israel.
 The movement to return these historical heritages dates back to Emperor Yohannes around 1872 where he wrote two letters even if the British government didn’t give satisfactory response, but their insulting answer states as General Napier said “‘we are not going to return back until Ethiopia has a stable government’
 Then it continued like that and also president Girma woldegiorgis wrote Victorian Albert Museum a letter for saying’ please return the treasures you took so we can reflect back to prepare ourselves for the new Ethiopian renaissance’ but still there was no good response
 That’s how the Afromet started working in the grass root level, making aware of the fact for the youth and rejuvenating is still is also one of the efforts they did. Now after the juvenile unit took the whole work they used art as a weapon to create voice and started touring in the different high schools of Addis like AIS (Andinet International School) and school of tomorrow.
“our present quest to retrieve the Maqdala treasures will ... yield something of value, irrespective of the worthy ultimate aims and barriers that will no doubt stand in the way of realizing them. The transmission of knowledge to future generations of the past, that they are heirs to a unique, great civilization is reason enough for a popular movement seeking the return of the Maqdala Treasures. By calling on Ethiopians citizens and friends of Ethiopia to work for the return of the Maqdala treasures AFROMET is in part paying homage and rejuvenating the deep sense of honour and pride displayed by Emperor Thewodros’ heroic suicide one-hundred and thirty-one years ago today." Professor Andrias Eshete comments

 They want their voice to be heard and they are determined to go to the extreme to make their voice louder so the history can witness the injustice, which is been done in Ethiopia.
 Now their next step is doing different shows in Addis where they scheduled to do it on September in Addis Ababa University and also with in that helping the community is also their plan and they donate clothes to the less fortunate people by outreaching their hands.
Starting from the grass root level they know it asks a national effort that’s why their next step is collecting petition to present it to the prime minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi.
 “ We Raise our banner up let people know what is going on, making noise we want all the media to come and show. We might do a march if their answer is not fair… “ Kapo Israel comments
 ‘We want stimulate the music industry here through this and create Ethiopian diasporas community through this and make the Ethiopian Diaspora community base our unity through this through the return of the maqdala efforts. We want to be the bases of our unity.’ Concludes Israel..