What African artifacts are on display at Manchester Museum?

Manchester Museum is displaying over 40,000 African objects, many acquired during the British Empire, with limited information about their specific origins and traditional uses.

Why does Manchester Museum have gaps in its African artifact records?

Many artifacts were collected during the British Empire through various means, including trade, donation, confiscation, and looting, often without detailed record-keeping.

What is Manchester Museum doing about the artifact origin mystery?

The museum has put these artifacts on display in its Africa Hub to be transparent about record gaps and to encourage public conversation about how they should be displayed or returned.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Museum Admits Vast Gaps in African Artifact Origins

Museum Admits Vast Gaps in African Artifact Origins

18 Dec

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Summary

Manchester Museum displays African artifacts with minimal origin records.
Items were forcefully taken, stolen, or given during British Empire.
Museum seeks public conversation on display or return of items.

Museum Admits Vast Gaps in African Artifact Origins

Thousands of African artifacts, acquired through trade, donation, confiscation, and looting during the British Empire, are now on display at Manchester Museum. Curators acknowledge a profound lack of information regarding the precise origins and traditional uses of these objects, with many items having been in storage for years. The new Africa Hub aims to be transparent about these record gaps.

This exhibition represents a starting point, inviting public engagement in determining the future of these historical items. Curator Lucy Edematie emphasized the gallery's unique nature, fostering public thought and involvement from the outset. The museum is considering options for the artifacts, including potential repatriation or collaborative projects with diaspora communities.

The museum is co-curating parts of the exhibition with local diaspora groups, such as the Igbo Community Greater Manchester. This collaboration aims to foster a sense of inclusivity and shared heritage, recognizing the strength found in bringing these dispersed objects and communities back together.