London's Natural History Museum and Cambridge University have indicated their willingness to cooperate with Zimbabwe in returning human remains taken during the colonial era. This follows talks with a Zimbabwean delegation seeking the skulls of 19th-century anti-colonial leaders, believed to be in the UK.
The remains are thought to belong to figures from the First Chimurenga, an uprising against British rule in the 1890s. Among them is Mbuya Nehanda, a spiritual leader executed in 1898, whose skull is believed to have been taken as a trophy. The Natural History Museum found 11 remains from Zimbabwe, including three skulls from 1893, but none linked to Nehanda. Cambridge's Duckworth Laboratory has a small number of Zimbabwean remains but none identified as First Chimurenga figures.
During the colonial era, body parts were often removed as trophies or for phrenological research, a now-discredited field that used skull shape for racial classification. Many remains in UK archives came from defunct phrenological societies and private collectors.
Zimbabwean officials believe the skulls of national heroes were taken to the UK. Godfrey Mahachi, who led the delegation, explained that the removal of the head is seen as punishing the person beyond the grave, leaving their spirit unsettled. Despite not finding specific remains, both institutions have committed to repatriation. The Natural History Museum recently returned Moriori and Maori remains as part of its policy.
