Hirut Kassaw will take the hair back to Ethiopia at the weekend where it will eventually be buried at the grave of Emperor Tewodros II at monastery in northern Ethiopia, an embassy official said. She thanked the museum for its "brave and principled" decision to hand over the hair, but called on it and other British institutions to return other items taken during the Victorian-era expedition. There was no immediate response to her request or statement on the return from the museum. The museum's records suggest the hair was taken from Magdala by an artist on the British force. Institutions including the British Museum have resisted repatriation campaigns citing legislation preventing them from breaking up collections and arguing that they can preserve items and present them to an international audience.

Source: Ethiopian News March 21, 2019 12:56 UTC