Why Manchester Museum is showcasing thousands of artefacts of unknown origins in its new Africa Hub
Manchester Museum has opened a new gallery showcasing thousands of African artefacts, many of uncertain origin, in a bid to spark debate about colonial looting and restitution.
The institution in northwest England holds more than 40,000 African objects, the majority held in storage after being acquired through trade, anthropological expeditions, confiscation and outright plunder during the British Empire.
“Some of these were given, some were stolen, some were taken by force,” said co-creator Sylvia Mgbeahurike, from Manchester’s Igbo Community.
“It’s important that we start bringing them back together.”
The gallery, called Africa Hub, is exploring whether works should be returned to their home communities or whether they could be shared and celebrated in new ways in Manchester.
The museum asks the public to contact anyone who recognizes any of the works.
Calls are growing worldwide for the return of looted artifacts and ancestral remains held in Western institutions, part of a long-running movement seeking reparations for colonialism and slavery.
While many of the museum’s galleries and exhibits reflect years of research, the new exhibition deliberately reveals gaps in the institution’s knowledge.
Artifacts such as musical instruments, stools, and carved figures entered the museum’s collection through donations, purchases, or institutional transfers.
Often, they arrived with little information other than the donor or institution from which they were recruited.
“Museum records rarely tell us who made these items, when they were created, or what they were originally called,” the museum said.
“They don’t tell us who owns them, how they are used, or why they are important to people.”
Some reparation efforts have been made in Europe and elsewhere, but many artifacts and human remains from Africa and other regions are still held in many institutions.
In March, advocates called on the government to fix what they described as a “legislative loophole” that allows museums and other institutions to keep and display ancestors’ remains.
