This article examines the legal impediments to proper cultural heritage management in Ethiopia in light of three successive Ethiopian governments’ proclamations on cultural heritage conservation. It provides a brief...This article examines the legal impediments to proper cultural heritage management in Ethiopia in light of three successive Ethiopian governments’ proclamations on cultural heritage conservation. It provides a brief overview of the meaning and types of cultural heritages as well as the evolution of the concept and practice of the protection and preservation of cultural heritages. Having critically analyzed the basic essences of the legal provisions of the cultural heritage conservation proclamations of the Imperial, the Military （Derg）, and the reigning governments, the article argues that the decrees issued mainly reflect the political philosophy of the three respective regimes. As a result, the second legal provision is not better than the first one, and within the same logic, the third is more expected to mitigate the problems related to cultural heritage management than the second one. Nevertheless, it is an open secret that the destruction and loss of cultural heritages in Ethiopia are increasing from time to time. Finally, the article provides conclusions consisting of recommendations to address the legal impediments to proper cultural heritage management in Ethiopia.展开更多
文摘This article examines the legal impediments to proper cultural heritage management in Ethiopia in light of three successive Ethiopian governments’ proclamations on cultural heritage conservation. It provides a brief overview of the meaning and types of cultural heritages as well as the evolution of the concept and practice of the protection and preservation of cultural heritages. Having critically analyzed the basic essences of the legal provisions of the cultural heritage conservation proclamations of the Imperial, the Military （Derg）, and the reigning governments, the article argues that the decrees issued mainly reflect the political philosophy of the three respective regimes. As a result, the second legal provision is not better than the first one, and within the same logic, the third is more expected to mitigate the problems related to cultural heritage management than the second one. Nevertheless, it is an open secret that the destruction and loss of cultural heritages in Ethiopia are increasing from time to time. Finally, the article provides conclusions consisting of recommendations to address the legal impediments to proper cultural heritage management in Ethiopia.
