Kenya’s Push for Repatriation of Colonial-Era Skulls

*Wɔatwerɛ nsɛm wei wɔ *'Asante Twi*' Mu*

Kenya hwehwɛ sɛ wɔsan de nnompe bi a ɛwɔ Europe aman mu, ne titire deɛ ɛwɔ Germany ne United Kingdom, a na ɛwɔ hɔ berɛ a na wɔyɛ nnommum no ma no. Yei yɛ adeɛ titire a ɛrekɔ so wɔ Afrika nyinaa a ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsan gye wɔn nananom a wɔawuwu no, na wɔhwɛ ma atɛnteneenee ba abakɔsɛm mu. Kenyafoɔ bu nnompe no sɛ ɛyɛ kronkron, na wɔfaa pii firii mu berɛ a na wɔreyɛ nnɛɛmmafo a wɔyɛ basabasa ne nnipa ho nhwehwɛmu wɔ afeha a ɛto so 19 ne 20 mfitiaseɛ mu no. Wɔn a wɔda so ara wɔ tete nneɛma akorae a ɛwɔ aman foforo so no gyina hɔ ma amammerɛ a na ɛyɛ atirimɔdensɛm ne ɔtan a na wɔde yɛ nnipa no.

## Abakɔsɛm mu nsɛm ne deɛ ɛkyerɛ
Berɛ a na Britain di Kenya so (1895–1963), wɔkunkum Afrika akannifoɔ ne akofo a wɔsɔre tiaa nniso no, na wɔde wɔn nnompe kɔɔ Europa. Nsɛm a ɛho hia sen biara no mu biako ne Koitalel Arap Samoei, Nandi honhom fam kannifo ne ɔkannifo a ɔtan kɔkolonifo a Britainfo kunkum no wɔ afe 1905 mu no. Abakɔsɛm ne abakɔsɛm mu nhwehwɛmu kyerɛ sɛ ebia wɔde n'atiboa no kɔɔ United Kingdom sɛ wɔnkɔyɛ ho nhwehwɛmu anaa wɔnkyerɛ no. Mpɛn pii no, na wɔde abɔdeɛ mu nyansapɛ mu nhwehwɛmu di dwuma de siesie nkae a ɛtete saa no, ne titire wɔ mmeaeɛ te sɛ Natural History Museum a ɛwɔ London ne beaɛ a wɔboaboa amammerɛ mu nnoɔma a ɛwɔ Berlin.

Ná nnipa a wɔtete aman afoforo so a wɔboaboa wɔn ho ano no ka nyansahufo a na wɔpɛ sɛ wobu Afrikafo sɛ nnipa a wɔba fam no ho. Wɔde saa nneɛma a wɔaboaboa ano yi boaa nnipa a wɔhwɛɛ wɔn akyi wɔ aman foforo so ne wɔn a wɔhwɛɛ wɔn akyi wɔ nsase foforo so no ma wɔyɛɛ nnipa mu nyiyim ho nhwehwɛmu. Enti, ɛnyɛ abrabɔ mu asɛm bi kɛkɛ ne sɛ obi bɛkɔ so anya saa nneɛma no bi, na mmom ɛyɛ biribi a ɛkyerɛ sɛ obi nni nokware na ɔyɛ basabasa wɔ abakɔsɛm mu.

## Ntoa a Kenya bɔ faa nnoɔma wɔbɛsan ade aba wɔn man no ho
Kenya aban no nam National Museums of Kenya (NMK) ne Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Heritage so ayɛ adwumaden de rehwehwɛ wɔn nananom a wɔda so te wɔ amannɔne no. Wɔ afe 2022 mu no, Amina Mohamed a ɔyɛ aban no twerɛfoɔ no kaa wɔ badwam sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsan de nnipa a wɔfiri Kenya no nnompe nyinaa ba, na ɔkyerɛe sɛ ɛho hia ma honhom mu ahohoro ne amammerɛ mu ahoɔfɛ. Saa nsato no ka nhyehyɛeɛ kɛseɛ bi a ɛfa amanaman ntam ahyehyɛde ahorow, nnipa hokwan ahorow ahyehyɛde ahodoɔ, ne UNESCO ho.

Nhwehwɛmufoɔ ne wɔn a wɔbɔ nneɛma ho ban akyerɛ sɛ nneɛma bi te sɛ Pitt Rivers Museum a ɛwɔ Oxford Suapɔn mu ne Natural History Museum a ɛwɔ London no wɔ hɔ, na wɔka sɛ ɛhɔ na wɔakora nnipa a wofi Afrika Apuei fam a wɔkyeree wɔn wɔ nniso ase no nnompe. Kenya abisa sɛ wɔmfa nnompe a ɛte saa no bi mmra hɔ na ama wɔatumi ahu wɔn na wɔasan de wɔn aba wɔn man mu.

## Asetenam ne amammerɛ ho nhwehwɛdeɛ ahodoɔ
Wɔ Kenyafo pii fam no, wɔn nananom a wɔawuwu a wɔbɛsan de wɔn aba no nyɛ ɔman no ahohoahoa ara kwa, na mmom ɛyɛ honhom fam akomatɔyam ne nananom a wɔawuwu a wɔsom wɔn no nso ho asɛm. Atetesɛm mu gyidi ahorow kyerɛ sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde awufo ahonhom kɔ wɔn nananom asase so ma wɔne ateasefo nya abusuabɔ pa. Wɔkyerɛ sɛ saa nnompe yi a ɛwɔ ananafo tete nneɛma akorae mu no yɛ honhom mu mpaapaemu a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsiesie. Bio nso, wɔ berɛ tenten ni a wɔn a wɔako tia aban no mmusua aka sɛ wɔn nananom a wɔawuwu no nnompe no, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsan de ba na wosie wɔn sɛnea wɔn amammerɛ kyerɛ.

Wɔsan de wɔn a wɔresan aba wɔn man mu no ka wɔn a wɔresan aba wɔn man mu no ho. Ɛkasa tia Afrikafo amammerɛ a wɔda no adi sɛ nnipa a wɔadi nkogu wɔ abakɔsɛm mu no, na mmom ɛde Afrikafo nne ba nkae ne ayaresa mu. Enti, nnompe a wɔsan de bae no yɛ nneɛma a wɔsan de maa afoforo no mu biako, a nea ɛka ho ne nneɛma a wɔsan de maa afoforo, nneɛma a na ɛwɔ hɔ wɔ tete mmere mu no din a wɔsan de maa afoforo, ne sukuu adesua nhyehyɛe a wɔsakraa mu.

## Amanaman ntam ne mmara ho nsɛm
Ɛmfa ho sɛ nteaseɛ wom sɛ wɔbɛsan de wɔn akɔ wɔn kurom no, mmara ne nhyehyɛe ahorow no da so ara siw kwan. Mpɛn pii no, Europa tete nneɛma akorae ahorow no ka sɛ wonnya nkrataa anaa wɔn nsa nkaa nneɛma no wɔ mmara kwan so sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a wɔbɛkora nnipa nnompe so. Nanso, amanaman ntam nhyehyɛe te sɛ 1970 UNESCO Nhyehyɛe ne Amanaman Nkabom no Abakɔsɛm a Ɛfa Ɔmanfo Ahorow Ho (UNDRIP) no boa ma wɔde amammerɛ mu agyapadeɛ ne nananom nkae san kɔma wɔn kuromfoɔ.

Nnansa yi nsɛm a ɛtete saa, te sɛ nnipa ti a wɔsan de brɛɛ Namibia fii Germany nnwuma mu, ne nnipa ti a wɔsan de brɛɛ Algeria fii France wɔ afe 2020 mu no, ama Kenya anya mmara ne amanyɔsɛm kwan a wɔde bɛhyɛ ne man no mu den. Ne titiriw no, Germany afiri aseɛ agye ne nnisoɔ mu nsɛmmɔnedie no atom, na Kenya mpanyimfo ahyɛ Berlin nkuran sɛ wɔmfa Kenya nka n'asetra ho nhyehyɛe ho.

## Awieeɛ
Kenya a ɛrepere sɛ wɔbɛsan de nneduaban mmere mu nkatabo aba ɔman no mu no yɛ sɛnkyerɛnne kwan so na mfaso wɔ so a wɔde reyɛ biribi de asiesie abakɔsɛm mu ntɛnkyea. Ɛnyɛ nnompe a wɔbɛsan de aba kɛkɛ ho asɛm na mmom nidi, honhom fam biakoyɛ, ne abakɔsɛm mu nokware a wɔbɛsan de aba. Bere a nkɔso rekɔ so wɔ Afrika no, mmɔden a Kenya bɔ no si hia a ɛho hia sɛ Europa ahyehyɛde ahorow no yɛ wɔn ade ma emu da hɔ, wodi wɔn asɛyɛde ho dwuma, na wobu Afrika agyapade ne nnipa no so dua.

## Mmeaeɛ a menyaa mmoa firiiɛ

Nkyekyεmu:Africa Wiki Challenge
Nkyekyεmu:2025