Govt engages UK on repatriation of remains of Heroes and Heroines of the First Chimurenga

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

THE Government has upped its efforts towards the repatriation of remains of National Heroes and Heroines of the First Chimurenga that are at various museums in the United Kingdom.

This was revealed by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa at a post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday.

Minister Mutsvangwa noted that a delegation led by the Executive Director of the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, Dr Godfrey Mahachi was recently been dispatched to the UK to engage the British authorities on the repatriation process.

“The objectives of the mission included the following: to engage British institutions with a view to ascertain the presence of human remains of our ancestors and facilitate their repatriation; to access and assess migrated archives including Rhodesian Military and Intelligence records and negotiate for their repatriation; and to identify cultural artefacts in British institutions and initiate dialogue for their possible repatriation,” she said.

“The team held meetings with six museums, namely: The Natural History Museum; the British Museum; the University of Cambridge Duckworth Laboratory; the University of Oxford Pitt Rivers Museum; University of Manchester Museum and the National Archives.”

The delegation is said to have been satisfied that there are indeed human remains of Zimbabwean origin in the United Kingdom as confirmed by the Natural History Museum and the Duckworth laboratory.

“Cabinet advised that these remains which are in various institutions as well as private collections, are believed to include those of Zimbabwe’s iconic heroes who were murdered during the resistance to colonial rule in the early 1890s and early 1900s. The nation is being informed that the archival documents associated with the remains were examined to verify their authenticity and integrity.

“Both the Natural History Museum and the University of Cambridge are willing to collaborate on the repatriation of the human remains in their institutions. Government will spare no effort to ensure the repatriation of our ancestors,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.