Manchester Museum reopened in February 2023 following ‘Hello Future’, a £15 million reconstructive project aimed at expanding the institution and their social aims. The project produced a two-storey extension, additional galleries and research rooms, but was characterised by its rethinking restitution programme. rethinking restitution was defined as “the unconditional repatriation of secret sacred objects to communities or origin” to become “more inclusive, caring and relevant to the communities we serve both locally and globally”. In doing this, Manchester Museum engaged with increasing global debates around repatriation, where materials are returned to their origin countries. Repatriation itself includes an admission of wrongdoing or guilt from the institution, and thus many museums have been reluctant to participate.
In the UK, this was sparked with outrage at the Parthenon Marbles, sculptures taken from Greece by Lord Elgin in the 1800s and displayed in the British Museum. Discussions over the sculptures, with the UK and museum claiming they were obtained legally, have been ongoing and unresolved since the 1980s. Similar debates are being held globally, with the Dutch National Museum of World Cultures addressing their colonial past. Whilst some artefacts were repatriated, exhibitions concerning transparency are currently the main method of approaching an institution’s colonial past. International debates over the correct course of action have produced varying results, but with Manchester Museum attracting 52,000 visitors within a single week of re-opening, honesty and openness is fundamental.
Approaching repatriation has required careful navigation from all parties involved. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)’ 2019 project ‘Return of Cultural Heritage’ catalysed the efforts from Manchester Museum. The 250th anniversary of James Cook’s voyage to Australia, which initiated the removal of aboriginal cultural heritage to the UK, acted as a necessary reminder, and AIATSIS’ project aimed to return these materials. Manchester Museum’s provenance research began under collaboration with AIATSIS, which is the key to repatriation by understanding its journey to the institution. The return of 43 artefacts to their communities was approved by the University’s Board of Governors and occurred through a live-streamed ceremony; for the first time, the repatriation of ceremonial and sacred materials occurred. The museum previously only had policies concerning human and ancestral remains.
Manchester as a city holds its own colonial past, its construction and industrialisation reliant upon wealth from enslaved labour and the triangular trade. The museum is one of the University of Manchester’s ‘cultural assets’, and thus these narratives both come from and are reflected on the university. The colonial narratives integrated into the city and its institutions are slowly unraveling, but the confrontation of colonial pasts is the first step on a long journey.