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MRN PRESS STATEMENT: MRN DEMANDS AN END TO BELGIUM’S AUCTION OF AFRICAN SKULLS EUROPE’S BRUTAL PAST IS ALSO ITS PRESENT

The Media Review Network (MRN) is appalled and disgusted that Belgium has embarked on despicable acts of inhumanity.

Africa woke up to the news that Belgium a former colonial power in the continent is engaged in conducting an auction of Human remains of African skulls.

These were taken from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when it was under their occupation.

Of course, the skulls are those of the former Congolese freedom fighters who were killed or executed fighting for their freedom from the occupiers of their land.

The Belgium government is shamefully trying to profiteer from the dead Africans’ skulls at the expense of their families who still seek to give them a decent burial back home.

This is contemptible and blatant racism, in addition to a display of disrespect for the deceased.

Indeed, this is not only exclusive to the DRC alone, the Zimbabwe government is also involved in attempts to negotiate for the return of the skulls of the Heroes/Heroines of the first Chimurenga like Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, and Chief Chingaira who were killed and decapitated with their heads presented to the British Royal family as trophies.

The fact that the current Belgium government has allowed the auction to go ahead, shows utter disrespect of Africa, and the lives of Africans as not being humans in their eyes. Racism is more than alive in Europe than we are told to believe. Unashamedly, they have even pegged prices of between 750 and 1000 euros for these skulls.

Media Review Network calls upon all progressive Africans to condemn, boycott Belgium businesses and demonstrate at their Embassies across the continent.

They come to us trying to teach us manners when in actual fact, it is them who lack manners and human decency.

We also call on the AU to protest this disrespect of African lives in this manner. Failure to do so will imply the AU’s complicity in Belgium’s grave violations.

We further call on the Government of South Africa to urgently intervene by demanding a halt to Belgium’s violation of human rights.

It can never be that they loot our natural resources and now they are resorting to selling our remains. Europe’s brutal past is also its present!

Dr. Mustafa Mheta

Senior Research Fellow/Head of Africa Desk

Media Review Network SA

Dean: School of Languages

Somali National University (SNU)

Mogadishu,

Federal Republic of Somalia

+252610838516

 

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