A museum building to be constructed by Association of Ethiopian Patriots.
ADDIS ABABA- A Museum envisaged to pass Ethiopian patriots history to posterity would rise in Addis Ababa adjacent to the current site of Association of Ethiopian Patriots, The Ethiopian Herald learnt.
Association’s Head of Historical Archives Department, Lidj Jermias Tesema Ergetee, indicated that the edifice would lie on a 754- sq.m tract of land and is estimated to cost 60-70 million Birr.
The design of the museum, prepared by a voluntary firm, also integrates other facilities like theatre, cinema, photo gallery and planetarium.
War artifacts which are now on personal holdings will be collected and kept in the museum, he added.
"We will convince patriots and their descendents to offer any war tools and similar artifacts to the museum."
As to him, keeping artifacts at home would slowly but surely reduce the artifacts’ quality and leads to an inevitable loss; thus the museum is "the right solution to protect the invaluable asset while ensuring their dignity due to the fact that the artifacts’ source and allied records shall be taken."
Adding, he said the Association has planned to restore looted war tools and other relating artifacts so as to help the new generation figure out the sacrifices forefathers made. "Resident embassies are expected to cooperate in the effort of realizing the plan."
The Museum’s cornerstone would be laid this month.
Various war tools used at the battle of Adwa, Maychew, as well as during the five years Italian occupation, among many others, are still in the hands of patriots and their descendents.