Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, in May last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO’s) 24th Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP), demanded the repatriation of the Kabwe Man’s skull. The United Kingdom put up an opposing plan that excluded the return of the artifacts.
Also known as “Broken Hill Skull”, or “Rhodesian Man”, the Kabwe Skull is believed to be the first human fossil found in Africa. It is about 300,000 years old. It has been used for biological, archaeological and anthropological research into the links between apes and humans. It is Natural History Museum in London.
UNESCO backed Zambia. ICRPRCP requested for a repatriation roadmap by 2026. As that is going on France has decided to return the sacred Djidji Ayôkwé Drum to Ivory Coast.
Named the “Talking Drum”, before the Colonial period, it was used for communicating warning messages between villages, even 30 kilometers away. Weighing 530 kilogrammes and is three meters long, Djidji Ayôkwé was taken from Ivory Coast by the French army 1916.
Last year, both countries agreed to the return of the valuable instrument. Now, it awaits its transfer to Ivory Coast.
As of now, few historical artifacts, taken during the Colonial period, have been returned to their countries of origin. Western institutions, especially the museums where they are placed, maintain legal claims to these artifacts, complicating repatriation.
Another sacred drum is the Ngadji, belonging to the East coastal Pokomo tribe. Historically, it was used in key communal ceremonies, including rituals of leadership, justice and rain-making. Its presence was central to Pokomo identity, believed to carry the voice of ancestors and ancestral power.
The drum was confiscated by British Colonial officers in 1902. It was later donated to the British Museum, where it is currently held in their collection in London; it is not on public display.
Many of these priceless cultural and traditional artifacts were pillaged and taken out of Africa during the Colonial era. The artifacts include: sculptures, masks, jewellery, textiles and other objects that hold great cultural and spiritual significance for the African tribes. They are usually carefully crafted and are given a spiritual meaning. And now they represent a historical and aesthetic value for African national identities.
Among the ten most sought artifacts apart from the Talking Drum and the Kabwe Skull are bronzes, crowns, stones, stools and other artifacts.
The Ugandan Nyamyaro stool was taken from the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom by the British in 1894. The eight-legged stool was the kingdom’s official throne, representing the holder’s power, for a hundred years, until that time.
It has been held in the University of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum in London. Mr. Yolamu Nsamba, the former Principal Private Secretary to the Omukama of the Bunyoro said: “There are 256 items in their museums that they are still holding that we are claiming.” The British Government has not yet responded to the Bunyoro (Uganda) claim.
Another African throne being sought is the Mandu Yenu Throne of the Bamum Kingdom in Cameroon which was taken from their ruler Ibrahim Njoya, in 1887. The throne consists of two components, a seat and a footstool, finely carved from solid wood. It is decorated with European glass beads and cowrie; and it is rich in symbolism. The throne includes carvings of a two-headed snake, an earth spider representing wisdom, twin figures offering protection and armed figures signifying the kingdom’s military power.
Historically, there is the claim that in 1908, Njoya gave the German Emperor Wilhelm II as a present, however, repatriation questions remain. In June 2023, Sultan Nabil Mbombo Njoya, a contemporary successor to the Bamum Kingdom, requested the return of the throne, 115 years later.
One of the most iconic artifacts is the Egyptian Rosetta Stone. It holds the understanding of hieroglyphics. In 1801, the French surrendered the stone to the British from their war. It is on display in the British Museum, and it is its most visited item.
Egyptian academicians and activists have in recent years attempted to bring the Rosetta Stone back, but to no avail A recent report authored by Sir. Trevor Phillips and Ms. Lara Brown stares that, “Had the Rosetta Stone not been brought to Britain, scholars may never have deciphered hieroglyphs. A huge aspect of ancient history would have been forever obscured.” They add that the artifacts in UK museums offer an important means with which to connect to the gone-by heritage.
Such heritage is also held by the Bangwa tribe in Cameroon’s Southwest Lebang region for their Bangwa Queen wooden sculpture. Presently, it belongs to the Dapper Foundation in Paris.
The Bangwa are actively seeking the return of their Queen. Their king, Asabaton Fontem Njifua, has formally requested its repatriation. Despite legal representation by their cultural advocates, nothing has yet transpired on its repatriation.
Another bust of an African queen that resonates in history is that of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. The limestone sculpture dates back to C. 1345 BC. It is in Berlin’s Neues Museum. Egypt has repeatedly called for its return, again to no avail.
In Ghana today, the Asante are requesting the return of their
gold regalia that involve ceremonial objects of profound cultural, historical and spiritual importance. The gold and silver artifacts, such as a sword, peace pipe, ceremonial cap and gold badges worn by officials, are being requested. These artifacts were taken during the Anglo-Asante wars of the 19th Century when British forces looted the royal palace in Kumasi. These artifacts are now in the collections at the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museums in London.
Some of the other treasures in these museums belong to the Ethiopians. They claim sacred and royal treasures looted from the Maqdala fortress. While a few items have been returned, there is a continued presence of collections of others in the UK which remain as a flashpoint in wider debates over repatriation.
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