Mnangagwa Calls For Return Of Chimurenga Heroes' Remains From Britain
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged the British government to return the remains of Chimurenga war heroes for dignified interment.
Among those whose remains are sought are prominent figures from the First Chimurenga, including Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, and other leaders of uprisings against colonial rule, such as Chief Makoni Chingaira, Chief Mapondera, and Chief Chinengundu Mashayamombe. The remains are believed to have been taken to Britain as war trophies and are currently used for research.
In 2022, both London’s Natural History Museum and Cambridge University expressed their willingness to cooperate with Zimbabwe in repatriating these human remains.
During his remarks at the funeral of the late hero Jaison William Chezhira Chakaipa Chirinda on Monday, Mnangagwa said the spirits of these late 19th-century anti-colonial heroes will not find peace until their remains are returned and properly buried. Said Mnangagwa:
We remind the British Government and people that the spirits of our heroes will not rest until their remains are repatriated and interred in a dignified manner.
Going forward, we urge the British Government to return the remains of our people to Zimbabwe.
Last week Mnangagwa demanded an apology from the British Government for a century of colonial rule that dispossessed indigenous people of their land and subjected them to various forms of abuse.
He also demanded reparations and restitution for the exploitation of Zimbabwe during the colonial period, which lasted from 1890 to 1980.
More: Pindula News
