University of Cambridge Discovers Extensive Collection of African Artifacts in Storage

An estimated 350,000 African artifacts and manuscripts, alongside human remains, photographs, and natural history specimens, have been located within a university’s collections. Dr. Eva Namusoke dedicated 15 months to collaborating with University of Cambridge librarians, curators, and archivists, as well as exploring their storage facilities, to bring these items to light. She noted that while it “is fairly common” for major museums to not exhibit the majority of their holdings, it was “still surprising to see this scale and diversity from the entire African continent and some there for decades and decades.” This initiative represents the latest effort by the university to address questions concerning its museums’ ties to colonization and enslavement, revealing that most of the artifacts were acquired during British colonization. Dr. Namusoke, who serves as the Fitzwilliam Museum’s senior curator African Collections Future, stated that the bulk of the Africa-related artifacts are not currently on display, expressing her hope that they will now be more broadly shared and researched. These items were discovered in the storage areas and archives of the eight museums and the Botanic Garden, which collectively form the University of Cambridge Museums, as well as the University Library and lesser-known collections housed in various university departments and institutions. Their variety spans from Maasai [tribe] armlets, donated by a colonial administrator, and a small mammal gathered from a Boer War (1899-1902) concentration camp, to a compilation of medieval Jewish manuscripts and early photographs of African individuals. The majority of these artifacts were obtained during British colonization, with some being gifted, purchased, commissioned, or excavated, while others were stolen, confiscated, or looted. For instance, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology possesses a gold necklace from Ghana, believed to have been looted from Asantehene Kofi Karikari’s palace during the Third Anglo-Asante War of 1873-4. Additionally, there are 116 objects connected to the British-led punitive campaign and the looting of the Benin Kingdom in 1897, located in present-day southern Nigeria. Dr. Namusoke commented, “I was prepared to find material like this, as it is the case in a lot of museums around the world.” She further explained that the 19th Century scientific method of collecting and colonisation “went very much hand in hand.” Dr. Namusoke cited, “The university holds dodo skeleton bones because of a personal relationship between someone in Cambridge and the colonial administrator in Mauritius.” She added, “There is a development with anthropology and the administration of colonies, meaning researchers have the framework to study and research the people and their culture.” Dr. Namusoke’s report highlights how “frustratingly little” information is documented regarding the skills, expertise, and local knowledge utilized by African workers in collecting specimens or artifacts. She provided an example: “There’s an example I give from Cameroon from the 1930s where it is clear there is a huge amount of African labour involved.” She elaborated, “They tracked and hunted the animals, including Cameroonian men lying on their stomachs for hours on end with test tubes to gather spiders and snails.” She emphasized, “It was absolutely about using local labour and expertise, their intellectual, physical and creative labour.” Concluding, she noted, “The focus has been on the European scientists who did the collecting not the labour that made it possible.” This project is an integral part of Collections-Connections-Communities, a research initiative at the University of Cambridge. The report concludes with several recommendations aimed at fostering further research, collaboration, and engagement, particularly with African scholars and communities. Dr. Namusoke stated, “But the next big step is increasing visibility and allowing people to explore the collections themselves.”