Zimbabwe Descendants Demand Return of Chimurenga Heroes’ Skulls from UK Museums

University of Cambridge

Descendants of Zimbabwean freedom fighters executed during colonial rule have renewed calls for British institutions to help locate and return the remains of their ancestors taken to the United Kingdom more than a century ago. The descendants, linked to leaders of the First Chimurenga uprising against colonial rule in the 1890s, have formally asked the Natural History Museum and the University of Cambridge to collaborate in finding skulls believed to have been taken after the execution of resistance fighters.

Eight family representatives have written to the institutions requesting joint investigations and offering DNA samples to help identify the remains of six of their ancestors. The appeal comes amid long-standing concerns in Zimbabwe that skulls of First Chimurenga leaders were removed by colonial authorities after executions and transported to Britain for research and display.

“This is not only about the past,” the descendants wrote in letters sent earlier this month. “It is about whether institutions today are willing to confront colonial violence honestly and repair its enduring harms.”

They added that until the remains are accounted for and returned, the suffering linked to colonial-era atrocities continues for affected families and communities.

Colonial resistance and missing remains

One of the signatories is a descendant of Chief Chingaira Makoni, a resistance leader who fought colonial forces linked to Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company.

Makoni opposed the seizure of land by settlers in what is now Manicaland and fought colonial forces during the Battle of Gwindingwi in 1896. After his capture, he was executed by firing squad and reportedly beheaded, with his skull believed to have been taken to England. His descendant, the current Chief Makoni, Cogen Simbayi Gwasira, said families were deeply hurt by the historical treatment of their ancestors.

“We are very aggrieved as the descendants of those ancestors for the dehumanisation that took place during that period,” he said. “The British, especially the museums in England, should be honest and return those things that they took.”

According to Gwasira, recovering the remains would allow communities to finally close a painful chapter of colonial history.

Thousands of African remains held in UK institutions

The renewed call follows a freedom of information investigation by The Guardian, which found that British universities, museums, and local authorities hold at least 11,856 human remains from Africa. The University of Cambridge reportedly holds the largest collection with at least 6,223 items, while the Natural History Museum holds more than 3,300.

Zimbabwean cultural heritage experts say more research is needed to determine whether any of these remains belong to the First Chimurenga leaders. Dr. Rudo Sithole, former executive director of the International Council of African Museums, said Zimbabwean researchers believe investigations into the collections may not yet be complete.

“Because people long believed that all the chimurenga heroes’ remains were in the UK, we are now very worried that not even a single one has been acknowledged to be there,” she said.

Calls for repatriation and historical justice

The issue of returning ancestral remains has been raised before by Zimbabwean authorities, including former president Robert Mugabe, who demanded the return of resistance fighters’ skulls from Britain more than a decade ago.

In 2022, trustees at the Natural History Museum agreed in principle to repatriate Zimbabwean human remains held in their collections. However, advocates say little progress has been made since that decision. UK institutions say they remain open to dialogue. The Natural History Museum said research had found no evidence linking the remains in its collection to named individuals or specific historical events, but confirmed its willingness to repatriate identified Zimbabwean remains.

The University of Cambridge also said its vice-chancellor had written to affected families acknowledging their grief and the uncertainty surrounding the missing remains. For descendants, however, the issue is not only historical but deeply spiritual. In Zimbabwe’s Shona tradition, ancestral spirits known as vadzimu play a vital role in connecting communities to the divine. Until those ancestors return home, many believe a painful chapter of colonial history remains unfinished.

Zimbabwean colonial remains UK; repatriation; UK museums; African remains