Throughout history, African ancestral remains, including mummified bodies, skulls, and other body parts, were brought to Britain and other former colonial powers, often as “trophies” or items for trade and display.
There is a growing global movement calling for the repatriation of these remains, as well as looted art, back to their communities or countries of origin. Despite some efforts to tackle this issue, African remains are still held in various institutions across the country, such as museums and universities.
“We cannot tolerate the dehumanization of our ancestors,” stated Connie Bell of the ‘Decolonising the Archive’ project at an event hosted by a cross-party parliamentary group on reparations, led by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy.
In November 2024, Ribeiro-Addy raised the issue in parliament, highlighting that colonial-era remains were being advertised for sale by auction houses, e-commerce platforms, and social media. Shortly after, an auction house in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, withdrew a sale of such remains, including skulls from the Ekoi people of West Africa, following backlash from local communities and advocates.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner expressed shock at Ribeiro-Addy’s revelations and agreed to further engage with the issue. Ribeiro-Addy announced that a meeting with the culture minister will be held soon.
The cross-party group will present 14 policy recommendations to the government, including proposing a ban on the sale of remains on the grounds that they are not commodities but human beings. The policy brief, prepared by the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD), suggested amending the Human Tissues Act 2004 to address loopholes regarding ancient human remains not covered by the legislation.
AFFORD recommended making the public display of human remains without consent a punishable offense, establishing a national restitution policy, creating a body to handle repatriation claims, and mapping out collections of human remains.
