Ethiopia raises cry for Britain to return 'looted' artifacts

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The hair of a long-dead emperor is among the artifacts Ethiopia's government is demanding be returned from Britain, as more countries seek to reclaim heritage they say was taken decades, even centuries, ago.

Ethiopia's minister for culture and tourism, Hirut Woldemariam, told The Associated Press that the display of human parts on websites and in museums is inhumane. He said Ethiopia has written to the relevant officials in Britain demanding the return of the items and is waiting for a reply. He said Ethiopia will use whatever legal and diplomatic instruments are necessary to secure their return.

The outcry in Ethiopia comes as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London displays some of the items in a new exhibit about the 1868 British expedition to what was then called Abyssinia.