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Manchester Museum has unveiled a new gallery showcasing thousands of African artefactsThe origins of many of which are uncertain, igniting discussions surrounding the colonial era. Looting And restoration.
The Northwest England Institute holds over 40,000 African objects, the majority of which were placed in storage during the British Empire after being acquired through trade, anthropological expeditions, confiscation and outright looting.
“Some of them were given away, some were stolen, some were taken by force,” said co-creator Sylvia Mgbehurike of Igbo Community Greater Manchester.
“It’s important that we start to bring them together again.”
Gallery, called Africa The Hub explores whether artefacts should be returned to their original communities, or whether they can be shared and celebrated in new ways in Manchester.
The museum is asking the public to get in touch if they recognize any of the artefacts.
Calls for the return of looted artifacts and ancestral remains to Western institutions are growing worldwide, as part of a long-running movement demanding reparations for colonialism and slavery.
While most of the museum’s galleries and exhibitions reflect years of research, the new exhibit intentionally highlights gaps in the institution’s knowledge.
Artifacts such as musical instruments, stools and carved figures joined the museum’s collection through donation, purchase or institutional transfer.
They often arrived with little information beyond the donor or institution from which they were obtained.
“Museum records rarely tell us who made these objects, when they were made, or what they were originally called,” the museum said.
“They don’t tell us who owned them, how they were used or why they mattered to people.”
Some restoration efforts have been undertaken 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 the “legislative void” allowing museums and other institutions to reopen. Capture and display ancestral remains,