REPORT - Laying Ancestors to Rest
Press Release
Laying Ancestors to Rest: Policy Recommendations Launch
Policy Briefs Embargoed: 9.00am GMT, 11 March 2025
The All Party-Parliamentary Group on Afrikan-Reparations (APPG-AR) is calling for a ban on the sale of ancestral remains, as well as on their display in museums and other institutions.
These are amongst 14 recommendations contained in a new policy brief ‘Laying Ancestors to Rest – the African Ancestral Remains Project, which addresses the ethical, cultural, and historical issues surrounding African ancestral remains in UK collections. Many were taken during colonial rule and their continued presence in British institutions causes profound distress to diaspora communities and nations of origin, particularly when they are displayed or sold at auction.
As one member of the Edinburgh Sudanese Community Partnership noted in the study: ‘I found myself in a mix of freeze and fight immediately upon seeing my ancestors’ body parts, having the knowledge that they were Sudanese people who were buried in Omdurman in 1898 during the so-called Battle of Omdurman; to see that their graves had been robbed and that their heads were brought back as trophies and then the trophies were used for race science. It was so overwhelming.’
Such growing debates about restitution and reparations highlight the urgency for action. The African Ancestral Remains project unites African stakeholders, experts, and global best practices to shape respectful policies which out laid out in two key policy briefs:
AFRIMUHERE presents a continental perspective.
AFFORD offers a UK-focused approach.
Both will be unveiled in Parliament at an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations (APPG-AR) meeting 3.00pm – 5.00pm on 12 March 2025, followed by a presentation to government.
“It’s shocking that institutions continue to display African ancestral remains or that a market still exists for them in prestigious auction houses,” says Bell Rebeiro-Addy, Chair of the APPG-AR. “Internally driven institutional reforms have been slow and inconsistent. It’s time for government to lead, establishing robust legal frameworks to ensure the dignified treatment and rightful return of these remains.”
The event will also feature speakers from Decolonising the Archives (DTA), sharing insights from their grassroots campaign empowering community archivists and researchers to challenge UK institutions on ancestral remains.
For more information or to get involved, please contact:
Onyekachi Wambu | Onyekachi@afford-uk.org
Notes
The African Remains project is part of AFFORD’s Return of the Icons programme, which fosters vital discussions about looted African artefacts and ancestral remains in UK museums, universities, and private collections. By advocating for restitution and preservation, it strives to return these cultural treasures to their rightful origins.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations (APPG-AR) APPG-AR brings together parliamentarians, campaigners, communities and other stakeholders to examine issues of African reparations and the restitution of cultural artefacts and ancestral remains. APPG-AR explores policy proposals on reparations and development and how best to redress the legacies of African enslavement and colonialism.
The African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) AFFORD is an international organisation established in 1994, with a mission to expand and enhance the contributions Africans in the diaspora make to African development.
The African Museums and Heritage Restitution (AFRIMUHERE) AFRIMUHERE was established by the African heritage community in response to calls for a continental heritage and museums association. AFRIMUHERE’s mandate is to safeguard, promote and facilitate restitution of African heritage. Decolonising the Archives
DTA is a Pan-African organisation facilitating heritage-based therapeutic interventions for people of African heritage rooted in our archives, cultural principles and technologies.