Are Western Regional Museums winning the restitution argument?

We had an exercise of asking our visitors whether they would want to see this in the museum,

whether they want to get it back to Benin.

And overwhelmingly, I think 90% of our responses say this supposed to go back to Benin.

While National Museums continue to talk about returning big ticket items like the

Parthenan sculptures, regional institutions are taking action, giving stuff back and reframing

how their collections are exhibited.

But does decolonisation threaten to end museums entirely?

The museum is filled with condemnations of the museum.

The collection is filled with condemnations of the collection.

Almost everything tells you about the sins of European colonialism, European racism.

My point is that the museum is effectively abolishing itself.

And does the story of the trophy skull of Alenberg, executed by the British in India,

signal a way forward in how to think about restitution?

It's difficult to talk about, you know, historical justice.

The people who executed Alumbeg are long gone Alombeg is evidently long gone.

But at least we can restore some degree of humanity to this man. I'm David Reed. Join me on

Business Daily today for a rare glimpse into the vaults of Manchester Museum. Are regional institutions

high grounding historical justice because they simply can't afford not to? And what can we learn

as a historian ponder's what he should do with the human remains he's looking after?

Incidentally, the end of the program includes very graphic descriptions of an execution.

So if that kind of thing upsets you, I'll let you know when it's coming up.

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