The Addis Tribune 05 December 03

Part two of Professor Richard Pankhurst's history of the royal drums that were taken at Maqdala and split between the invading British troops.

Last week, readers may remember, we looked at the question of Ethiopian royal drums. We saw that way back, in the great days of Gondar, the Palace possessed two silver drums, which were beaten to announce important events: one for declarations of war and the like, and the other for more pacific occasions, such as amnesties. We noted that these drums had been seen, by the late eighteenth century Scottish traveller James Bruce, who describes them in his famous work "Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile", as being called The Lion and The Lamb.

Maqdala and Dalanta

We saw further that at least one of these drums was at Emperor Tewodros's capital, at Maqdala, on that fateful day, in April 1868, when the citadel was looted by British troops. Most of the loot, you may remember, was taken by elephant or mule to the nearby Dalanta plain, where it was sold at a two-day auction. Many of the looted artifacts were purchased by the wealthier officers or well-endowed regimental units: those who could best afford to buy them.

As for the drum, it was broken up and divided, as we saw, among three of the victorious British regiments: the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's), now the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards), in Edinburgh; the 4th (or KingsOwn) Regiment of Foot, now the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, in Carlisle; and the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment on Foot, now the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding), in Halifax. All three regiments have retained their pieces of the drum in their regimental messes or museums.

Almost Meaningless

It is of course commendable that the three drum fragments are still in existence, but the present situation is on any showing far from satisfactory. Each of the three silver pieces of drum by itself is almost meaningless: a mere item of military booty left over for the British from a long-forgotten expedition - one of so many battles dating back to the wars of the no less forgotten Victorian era.

A British scholar interested in examining the drum, let alone an Ethiopian in far-off Africa, has for practical purposes no opportunity of doing so. He or she can only hope to see fragments of it, scattered around northern England and Scotland: in Edinburgh, Carlisle and Halifax. This is clearly an unsatisfactory state of affairs.

Not an Item of Booty

The importance of the drum, it should be emphasised, does not lie in its being an item of booty, the Ethiopian craftsmen who produced it, and to its role in old-time Ethiopian, or more precisely Gondarine government. The time has surely come when the three fragments, by themselves of little interest in regimental care, should be re-assembled - and brought back to Ethiopia. There, when reassembled, the drum would acquire meaning - and would constitute an invaluable exhibit for any national museum - either in Gondar or Addis Ababa.

The time for action on this matter, dear reader, has surely arrived.The need for the drum's reunification and restitution to its county of origin, should moreover be apparent to the three British regiments concerned. With this belief in mind AFROMET, the Association for the Return of Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures, has addressed three culturally important letters to the three Regimental Commanders, in Edinburgh, Carlisle and Halifax. They read as follows:

AFROMET's Letter

"Dear Sir,

"May I draw your attention to the fragment of an Ethiopian royal drum, which is currently in the possession of your esteemed Regiment.

"This drum, which has an interesting history, was looted by members of the British Expedition to Maqdala (Magdala) in April 1868. For a brief account of that expedition, we would refer you to entry by Richard Pankhurst in the "Oxford Companion to Military History", page 2.

"At the end of the Expedition the drum was broken into three pieces, which were then divided among three British regiments: the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's), now the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards); the 4th (or King's Own) Regiment of Foot, now the King's Own Royal Border Regiment; and the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment on Foot, now the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding).

James Bruce

"The original drum, we would emphasise, played an important role in traditional Ethiopian court formalities, as can be seen by consulting the Scottish explorer James Bruce's classic work "Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (Edinburgh, 1790), volume I, p.602.

"The looting of Maqdala, which was the then Ethiopian capital, involved extensive seizure of Ethiopian state and religious treasures, as described in many contemporary accounts, for example in Henry Morton Stanley's well-known work "Coomassie and Magdala" (London, 1874), pp. 457-9.

Queen Elizabeth's State Visit

"Ethiopians over the years have yearned for the restitution of the loot from Maqdala, and a number of such items have in fact been returned, most notably at the time of Queen Elizabeth's State Visit to Ethiopia in 1965, when a royal cap and imperial seal were given back. AFROMET feels that the time for the return of the drum to Ethiopia, and for its ensuing reassembly, has also arrived. We feel that such restitution and reassembly would be a great act of justice, as well as an important act of cultural renewal.

"Took to the Streets"

"You may have read in the press that a wooden altar slab also looted from Maqdala,was found last year in St John's Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, and that the church authorities decided on its repatriation. When the artifact in question was finally returned to Ethiopia, a large proportion of the Addis Ababa population took to the streets to welcome it. AFROMET believes that the return of the drum would be greeted with similar rejoicing.

"Restitution of the drum would do much to enhance the long-established friendship between the peoples of Britain and Ethiopia.

"AFROMET would therefore appeal through you to your Regiment to listen to this appeal for the restitution of your third portion of the drum".

And there, dear readers, is where the story of the drum now stands!

Next Week: A Very Different Story.