Human remains are not collectibles, specimens – Mahama demands restitution of Africa’s heritage

President John Dramani Mahama has called for the restitution of African cultural heritage and human remains held in museums and private collections outside the continent.

He said the continued possession of African artefacts and the remains of African ancestors was not simply an issue of ownership but one of dignity, identity and justice.

Speaking at a High-Level Side Event on the Next Steps on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Mahama said generations of Africans had been separated from important elements of their history and heritage.

“Human remains are not collectibles. They are not specimens. They are our ancestors. They are our fathers, mothers, kings, and elders.”

He said African heritage had been taken from communities through conquest, punitive expeditions and colonial violence and subsequently dispersed across museums and collections around the world.

President Mahama cited the 1874 destruction and looting of the Asante Royal Palace in Kumasi by British forces, noting that some of the heritage taken from Ghana had since been returned, including the Mpomponsuo sword in 2024.

He also recounted the case of King Badu Bonsu II of Ahanta, who was executed by Dutch authorities in 1838 and whose head was taken to the Netherlands for phrenological studies. His remains were eventually returned to Ghana in 2009.

According to President Mahama, such cases demonstrate why restitution should extend beyond cultural artefacts to the human remains of Africans held abroad.

“Restoring them is not a matter of legal ownership; it is a fundamental test of our shared human dignity.”

He said African artefacts and remains should be returned to the communities and institutions to which they belong, describing them as part of living traditions rather than relics of a distant past.

The President’s call forms part of Ghana’s broader push for reparatory justice, following the adoption of a UN resolution recognising the trafficking and enslavement of Africans and calling for action on the enduring consequences of that history.