An outcry erupted last year among some Ethiopians over an exhibit by another institution, the Victoria and Albert Museum, on the 1868 British expedition to what was then called Abyssinia. During that campaign, in which 13,000 troops were deployed to free several British hostages, the emperor killed himself and his fortress was captured and looted. Ethiopia's government at the time said it would use "whatever legal and diplomatic instruments" to secure the return of related items including an intricate golden crown. That another British museum, the National Army Museum, held locks of the emperor's hair was seen as particularly sensitive. That museum has said the hair was donated in 1959 by relatives of an artist who painted the emperor on his deathbed.

Source: Ethiopian News March 04, 2019 16:36 UTC