Earlier this week, a policy brief written by the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) was published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations (APPG-AR). A statement taken from BABAO’s Trading and Sale of Human Remains Task Force website was included in the document. BABAO was not involved in the creation of the document or any consultation carried out by AFFORD or the APPG-AR. The APPG-R is independent of government, and its recommendations are not government policy.
On the 13th March a House of Lords short debate considered “The offence caused to the indigenous peoples affected by the sale of human body parts in public auctions, and their display and retention in public collections”.
BABAO supports the appropriate and ethically considered retention of human remains that follows established guidance and as outlined in the BABAO mission statement and guidance documents for working with human remains. This includes the principle of open and constructive dialogue between museums and communities and consideration of requests for return as detailed in the DCMS Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums.
In response to the debate, Baroness Twycross (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for DCMS) stated that the government is in a position to set up a cross-Whitehall meeting of relevant ministers and policy officials to discuss options, including change to the law, to prohibit the sale of human remains, which BABAO considers a positive step. We will continue to take an interest in this important issue as it progresses.
Jelena Bekvalac, FSA
BABAO President