Mirriam Tose Majome — The imposing stone monument of Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo is evidence of an ancient sophisticated civilisation.
The ruins bear silent witness to a painful history. Among the most poignant symbols of this history are the eight Zimbabwe Birds, iconic soapstone sculptures, seven of which were systematically plundered by British colonisers.
These birds, more than mere artifacts, are vital embodiments of the Zimbabwean heritage, connecting us to our ancestors and our national identity. Today, we reiterate: "We want our bird back!" -- a call to the last of the birds that is still out in the wilderness.
The story of the Zimbabwe Birds is a stark narrative of theft and cultural erasure.
Cecil John Rhodes, the quintessential imperialist and his emissaries, viewed these treasures as trophies of conquest and not as symbols of a thriving civilisation.
His private museum at Groote Schuur in Cape Town is a repository of stolen wealth, and continues to house the last of these sacred birds, a constant reminder of colonial plunder.
In 2003, a glimmer of hope emerged when the top part of one stolen bird was returned from Germany after a long sojourn throughout Europe where it miraculously survived both the First and Second world wars.
It was received on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe by the late former President Robert Mugabe amid great aplomb and ceremony.
This symbolic victory validated our claim and highlighted the importance of cultural restitution.
However, the bird remaining in Rhodes' private museum represents an unfinished chapter, a symbol of the ongoing denial of our cultural rights.
Our demand for the return of the confiscated Zimbabwe Bird is not an isolated plea.
It echoes the broader call for the repatriation of stolen art and artifacts across Africa.
From the Benin Bronzes to the Ethiopian treasures of Maqdala, Western museums hold the spoils of imperial conquest.
Western archaeologists continue to freely excavate our historical sites, yet African archaeologists would never be allowed to dig for Tudor relics at Windsor Palace or old French art at Notre Dame.
This exposes deep-seated double standards and our folly as Africans for allowing it as much as our foolishness for sometimes agreeing to be bribed with useless trinkets in exchange for our most treasured works of art.
The Louvre Museum in Paris ranks as the second greatest museum of imperial collection after the British Museum, benefiting initially from the loot of archaeological expeditions in Egypt and the Middle East.
Collecting historical artefacts from the colonies became so popular in Britain that guide-books were published to assist amateur collectors and looters of foreign art.
Throughout the 18th century, English aristocrats, professional and merchant classes pillaged and moved objects from other parts of the world to England where they are still held in private collections or in museums
The argument that these artefacts are "better preserved" in Western institutions is a patronising justification for cultural theft, which perpetuates the myth of African inferiority.
It is deemed that we do not have the sophistication to appreciate our own art that we created and preserved for centuries.
The return of our cultural heritage is not about revenge or symbolic repossession.
It's about acknowledging historical injustice, rectifying past wrongs, and building a future based on respect and equality.
The last Zimbabwe Bird, kept against its will in a foreign land, is a silent witness to the ongoing struggle for decolonisation. Its presence in Rhodes' private museum is a constant reminder of this unfinished business. Its return would symbolise healing and a victory for cultural justice.
Zimbabweans and Africans at large should continue demanding the return of our stolen treasures.
We should not rest until the last Zimbabwe Bird, and all other stolen artifacts, return home. There were many other artefacts stolen from Great Zimbabwe apart from the birds.
Some of them are in South Africa while others are in British Museums.
In February, the Netherlands announced that it would return more than 119 Benin bronze statues looted from Nigeria's Benin City by British troops in the 19th century. Germany returned 20 of them in 2022, but the British Museum holds more than 900 of the statues, and refuses to give them back, despite protests and demonstrations by Nigerians outside the museum.
The British Museum conveniently hides behind an obscure colonial era law passed by its own Parliament, which vests permanent ownership of looted artefacts to Britain.
The call for the Zimbabwe Bird's return is a call for justice, recognition, and respect.
It echoes across the continent, demanding that the world acknowledges the legacy of colonial plunder and the urgency of cultural restitution. The theft of our cultural heritage was not a mere transaction; it was a violent act of cultural disruption.
It severed our connection to our past, distorted our present, and robbed us of our future.
The Zimbabwe Bird, and other stolen artifacts, are not just lifeless objects; they are living links to our ancestors, repositories of our collective memory, and symbols of our national identity.
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The return of these treasures is not just about righting a historical wrong; it is about restoring our dignity. It is about affirming our right to our own history, our own culture, and our own identity.
It is about recognising that our cultural heritage is not a commodity to be traded or a trophy to be displayed, but a vital part of our being.
We call upon the Rhodes Trustees, and indeed, the international community, to recognise the moral imperative of restitution.
We call upon them to acknowledge the historical injustice that was perpetrated against our people and to take concrete steps to rectify the wrongs of the past.
The return of the Zimbabwe Bird would not only be a victory for Zimbabwe; it would be a victory for all of Africa. It would send a powerful message that the era of colonial plunder is over and that the time for cultural restitution has come.
We want our bird back as a symbol of healing from past wrongs and closure.
We want it back as we start to realise that we also need to start putting ourselves first.
Miriam Tose Majome is a lawyer and a Commissioner with the Zimbabwe Media Commission. She writes in her personal capacity, and can be contacted on [email protected]
