University of Cambridge urged to help locate looted Zimbabwean skulls

By Agencies

Zimbabwean descendants of the chimurenga heroes, freedom fighters who led an uprising against British colonial rule in the 1890s, have asked for the University of Cambridge and the Natural History Museum’s help to find the looted skulls of their ancestors.

The descendants of the first chimurenga heroes believe that many of the skulls are held by the University and the Museum.

In October 2022, Cambridge University and the Natural History Museum in London declared their willingness to cooperate with Zimbabwe to return the looted human remains taken during colonial rule.

The University’s Duckworth Laboratory said it had not identified any of their “small number of human remains from Zimbabwe” as belonging to the First Chimurenga, while the National History Museum also did not identify any chimurenga remains in its collection.

A former executive director of the International Council of African Museums, Dr Rudo Sithole, claimed Zimbabwean experts doubted that the University of Cambridge or the Natural History Museum had conducted sufficient research to determine whether the skulls in their collections included those of the chimurenga heroes.

Sithole commented: “Because people long believed that all the chimurenga heroes’ remains were in the UK, we are now very worried that not even a single one has been acknowledged to be there.”

The descendants sent letters to both institutions this month, saying that the skulls’ provenance could only be determined by establishing a taskforce of Zimbabwean and UK experts.

The letters stated: “This is not only about the past. It is about whether institutions today are willing to confront colonial violence honestly and repair its enduring harms. Until the remains of our ancestors are accounted for and returned, the suffering continues.”

The University holds 8,740 non-European items of human remains in its Duckworth Laboratory, the second highest total of any UK institution. Only the National History Museum holds more, with 11,785. However, the University has the largest collection of remains originating from Africa in the UK, with 6,223, followed by the National History Museum, which holds approximately 3,375.

The current Chief Majoni, Cogen Simbayi Gwasira, was a signatory of a letter sent to the University. He is a descendant of Chief Chingaira Makoni, a chimurenga hero who opposed the seizure of land for farming and mining in north-eastern Zimbabwe in the 1890s. His ancestor’s skull is believed to have been taken to England after he was executed and beheaded following the battles of Gwindingwi in 1896.

Gwasira stated: “We are very aggrieved as the descendants of those ancestors for the dehumanisation that took place during that period.”

He continued: “We feel that the British, and especially the museums in England, should be honest and return those things that they took.

“If those remains are not part of us, the notion of subjugation remains in our minds. Because we feel if we are united with our ancestors, then that chapter of colonialism is closed.”

According to the Zimbabwean Shona tradition, vadizimu, or ancestral spirits, served as the link through which people directed their prayers to Mwari, or God.

Gwasira said that the looting of ancestral remains by colonisers has continued to make his people suffer.

A spokesperson for the University of Cambridge told Varsity: “The Vice-Chancellor has written to the families and descendants to acknowledge their profound grief and the enduring uncertainty they have expressed. In that letter, the Vice-Chancellor has given an assurance that the Duckworth Collections do not hold any remains of the first chimurenga heroes.

“The Duckworth cares for the partial cranial remains of a single individual and this is the full extent of remains from Zimbabwe. This partial cranium is not one of the first chimurenga heroes, but is instead archaeological in origin and has accompanying provenance information.

“As well as the provenance of the cranium being investigated by Cambridge researchers, the cranium has also been inspected, photographed, and documented, by a delegation of five dignitaries from Zimbabwe who visited the Duckworth Collections in 2022.

“The delegation included former Executive Director of the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ), Dr Godfrey Mahachi, Dr Mupira, of the Department of Archaeology (Zimbabwe), Ms Majata from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Ms Mamvura from National Archives of Zimbabwe, and Ms Chingono from Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation was also joined by two members from the State of the African Diaspora, Ms Keturah Amoako, Vice Prime Minister & Minister of Repatriation (Africa), and HRH Princess Eugene Majuru. A repatriation of the partial cranium to Zimbabwe has been approved and is in process.

“The University and Duckworth Collections remain committed to respectful engagement with Zimbabwean institutions and communities and understand the immense significance that any ancestral remains hold, approaching their care with respect and ethical responsibility. The Duckworth’s Policy on Curation and Conservation of Human Remains gives full details about their policies and approach.”