Ethiopia celebrates as stolen Axum obelisk begins arriving home

AXUM, Ethiopia, April 19 (AFP) — Ethiopia’s long wait for the return of the Axum obelisk neared its end Tuesday as a plane carrying the first of its three massive pieces arrived here from Italy, where the stele was taken as a prize of conquest by fascist troops nearly 70 years ago.

The first of three parts of the famed Axum obelisk, plundered by fascist Italy nearly 70 years ago, arrived home in Ethiopia. Picture shows Italian workers preparing to remove the obelisk in Rome’s central square Piazza di Porta Capena, 7 November 2003. (AFP).

Applause, cheers and sighs of relief greeted the landing shortly after dawn at Axum’s small airport as the giant Russian-built Antonov 124-100 cargo plane touched down with its precious 60-tonne load after four fly-bys.

“I am excited, overjoyed and delighted,” said Ethiopian Culture Minister Teshome Toga, one of some 40 officials waiting on the tarmac for the arrival along with about 50 students wearing obelisk t-shirts.

“This is a very historical moment for us, we have waited so long to have the obelisk back,” he said. “This operation is a wonderful example of preservation of Ethiopian culture.”

The 2,500-year-old, 24-meter (78-foot) granite funeral stele weighing some 160 tonnes was stolen by Italian troops in 1937 on the orders of dictator Benito Mussolini during his brief attempt to colonize Ethiopia.

Despite a 1947 agreement that called for its return, the monument had remained in Italy much to the anger of Ethiopia which had accused Rome of stalling on the deal for the past 58 years.

Thus, the arrival of the first piece on Tuesday — to be followed by that of the second on Friday and the third and final portion on Monday — marks not only the beginning of the end of the national wait but also the healing of a festering diplomatic row.

“It is an historical moment, it marks a new chapter in our relations with Italy,” said Amede Lema of the National Committee for the Return of the Obelisk which has been lobbying for Italy to make good on its pledge since 1966.

The monument had stood outside the Rome headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization until last year when it was dismantled by Italian experts in preparation for its journey home.

Its return was finally agreed upon in November during a visit to Italy by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi but its imminent arrival had been announced and then delayed several times before Tuesday.

Earlier this month, after several false starts, Ethiopia announced with great fanfare that the first piece would be returned to Axum on April 13 with the remaining two portions to come by April 23.

But three days later, it had to announce that the return had been put on hold indefinitely due to “technical and logistic reasons.”

Italy is footing the estimated six million-euro (7.7 million-dollar) tab for the return which has been dubbed “Operation Restitution” and will culminate with the re-erection of the ancient obelisk by July.

Italian ambassador to Ethiopia, Guido La Tella, was among those at the Axum airport when the Antonov landed, taxiing by firetrucks and three tractor trailers that will move the first piece into a storage hanger where it will stay until the arrival of the other two pieces.

For workers overseeing its arrival, the return of the obelisk has posed tremendous problems, not the least of which was landing such a large plane laden with an immense and priceless cargo on Axum’s short, radarless runway at an altitude of 2,230 meters (7,315 feet) with widly fluctuating temperatures.

In addition to possible risks to the aircraft’s landing — which had prompted stand-by plans for it to touch down at larger facilities in either Addis Ababa or Mekele — there were fears that a bumpy ride on the five-and-half hour flight from Rome might damage the stone.

It was not immediately clear if the piece was undamaged as the seven-meter, 60-tonne block — the largest monument ever moved by plane, according to one engineer — remained on board the plane, encased in aluminum armor for some time after the landing.

Ethiopia plans elaborate celebrations drawing on both national pride and the country’s anti-colonial history to mark its arrival and re-erection.