Ramaphosa slams 'corpse theft' at reburial of anti-colonial heroes
The remains of at least 63 members of the Khoi and San communities, which were previously housed in a European museum, were reburied on Mon, Oct 23, 2023, in South Africa. This reinterment is part of a broader initiative to return human remains and…
The remains of at least 63 members of the Khoi and San communities, which were previously housed in a European museum, were reburied on Mon, Oct 23, 2023, in South Africa. This reinterment is part of a broader initiative to return human remains and artifacts that were historically removed from the African continent.
The remains, exhumed between 1868 and 1924, were sent to The Hunterian Museum at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Some had been stored at the Iziko Museum in South Africa since the 1920s. The repatriation process involved negotiations between the South African government and the University of Glasgow, initiated in 2022.
The reburial ceremony took place in Steinkopf, Northern Cape, attended by officials and traditional leaders. The event marked a significant step towards restoring dignity to the earliest known inhabitants of southern Africa, the Khoi and San, who resisted colonial forces and suffered significant losses during that era.
The remains of at least 63 members of the Khoi and San communities, which were previously housed in a European museum, were reburied on Mon, Oct 23, 2023, in South Africa.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was present at the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of the repatriation in restoring dignity to the ancestors. The President highlighted the need for European nations to acknowledge the historical injustices and consider reparations for the impact of colonialism on African societies.
Based on reporting by Africanews.
