Source: Process to identify repatriated remains commences – herald
Gibson Nyikadzino
Zimpapers Politics Hub
PREPARATORY work on the identification of eight ancestral remains that were repatriated from South Africa last month has begun, in what the authorities say is a critical step towards restoring dignity to victims of colonial-era atrocities.
The repatriation, which has been described by Government officials as part of a broader campaign to reclaim looted heritage and human remains taken during colonial occupation, has renewed public focus on unresolved historical injustices dating back to the 1896-1897 First Chimurenga uprising against British colonial rule.
National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) executive director Dr Paul Mupira said specialists are now examining historical and forensic evidence that could help establish identities of the remains and determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
“At the moment, we have started work on the process to identify the human remains using forensic investigation because these remains were retrieved from their graves, caves and mountains as a process of archaeology,” he said.
“The names are not yet known and that is the work we are now embarking on to mark that process.”
According to Dr Mupira, it is believed the human remains repatriated from South Africa were originally taken from areas now known as Kwekwe, Mutasa, Chikomba, Arcturus, Goromonzi, Mazowe and “the north of Harare”.
He, however, could not divulge where the repatriated remains are being kept.
“I can only tell you that of the eight ancestral remains repatriated from South Africa, only two have their skulls and complete body frames,” Dr Mupira added.
The remains were returned alongside a carved Zimbabwe soapstone bird in a symbolic handover ceremony attended by President Mnangagwa in Bulawayo last month.
The soapstone bird, one of Zimbabwe’s most recognisable national symbols, is linked to the Great Zimbabwe civilisation and has long been at the centre of debate over the restitution of African cultural artefacts held in foreign institutions.
In recent years, Zimbabwe has intensified engagements with foreign museums, universities and cultural institutions to facilitate the return of artefacts and ancestral remains removed during the colonial period.
At the time of their removal from across Zimbabwe nearly 130 years ago, the remains were sent to Cape Town, South Africa, as colonial-era specimens.
Speaking at the handover ceremony of the ancestral remains and the carved Zimbabwe soapstone bird to President Mnangagwa, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said it is believed some of the remains are of a Kalanga chief.
“His skull has been in a museum collection since 1910. He has been waiting for this return for 116 years.
“They were collected from across Zimbabwe —some removed from graves, one gathered after a violent death, two found together at the bottom of a mine shaft — and sent to Cape Town as colonial-era specimens,” Minister McKenzie said.
The First Chimurenga, fought between 1896 and 1897, marked one of the earliest organised armed resistance campaigns against colonial occupation in Southern Africa.
Spirit mediums such as Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi became enduring symbols of resistance after their execution by colonial authorities.
Officials say the forensic process underway is expected to combine archaeological science, historical records and cultural consultation with communities believed to be linked to the remains before eventual burial and memorialisation.
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