Sunday June 14, 2026 | EN FR AR Live

Nowinafrica Editorial board

Zimbabwe Celebrates Return of Last Sacred Stone Bird Stolen by Colonialists Over a Century Ago

%3Cp%3EFor%20more%20than%20130%20years%2C%20one%20of%20Zimbabwe%27s%20most%20sacred%20national%20symbols%20sat%20in%20a%20foreign%20land%20%E2%80%94%20a%20piece%20of%20a%20civilization%27s%20heritage%20taken%20by%20force%20and%20never%20returned.%20Until%20now.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOn%20April%2015%E2%80%9316%2C%202026%2C%20Zimbabwe%20welcomed%20home%20the%20final%20Zimbabwe%20Bird%20soapstone%20sculpture%20that%20had%20been%20held%20in%20South%20Africa%2C%20along%20with%20eight%20ancestral%20human%20remains%20looted%20during%20the%20colonial%20era.%20The%20handover%20ceremony%20was%20conducted%20by%20South%20Africa%27s%20Minister%20of%20Sport%2C%20Arts%20and%20Culture%2C%20Gayton%20McKenzie%2C%20marking%20one%20of%20the%20most%20significant%20acts%20of%20cultural%20repatriation%20in%20modern%20African%20history.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20Zimbabwe%20Bird%20%E2%80%94%20a%20soapstone%20sculpture%20carved%20by%20the%20Shona%20people%20in%20the%2011th%20to%2015th%20centuries%20at%20Great%20Zimbabwe%20%E2%80%94%20is%20the%20centerpiece%20of%20the%20nation%27s%20coat%20of%20arms%20and%20flag.%20It%20represents%20the%20bateleur%20eagle%2C%20known%20in%20Shona%20as%20%3Cem%3Echapungu%3C/em%3E%2C%20believed%20to%20be%20a%20messenger%20between%20the%20living%20and%20the%20ancestors.%20For%20centuries%2C%20these%20sculptures%20stood%20as%20spiritual%20guardians%20within%20the%20ancient%20stone%20city%20of%20Great%20Zimbabwe%2C%20which%20spans%20730%20hectares%20and%20is%20the%20largest%20ancient%20stone%20structure%20in%20sub-Saharan%20Africa.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20sculpture%20now%20being%20returned%20was%20taken%20in%201889%20by%20European%20hunter%20Willi%20Posselt%2C%20who%20climbed%20the%20sacred%20site%20despite%20warnings%20from%20local%20people%2C%20hacked%20the%20bird%20from%20its%20pedestal%2C%20and%20later%20sold%20it%20to%20Cecil%20Rhodes.%20It%20ended%20up%20in%20the%20collection%20of%20South%20Africa%27s%20Department%20of%20Sports%2C%20Arts%20and%20Culture%20%E2%80%94%20held%20for%20decades%20as%20a%20relic%20of%20colonial%20extraction.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIn%201981%2C%20South%20Africa%20returned%20four%20of%20the%20original%20eight%20birds.%20The%20fifth%20remained%20%E2%80%94%20until%20now.%20With%20this%20repatriation%2C%20Zimbabwe%20now%20holds%20all%20its%20sacred%20birds%20save%20one%2C%20which%20remains%20at%20Groote%20Schuur%20in%20Cape%20Town%2C%20once%20Rhodes%27%20residence.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%22This%20is%20not%20just%20a%20stone%20coming%20home%2C%22%20said%20Edward%20Matenga%2C%20the%20archaeologist%20who%20documented%20Zimbabwe%27s%20bird%20sculptures.%20%22It%20is%20our%20ancestors%27%20voice%20returning%20to%20speak%20for%20our%20nation.%22%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20return%20ceremony%2C%20held%20at%20the%20Natural%20History%20Museum%20in%20Bulawayo%2C%20drew%20thousands%20of%20Zimbabweans%20who%20came%20to%20witness%20the%20homecoming.%20President%20Emmerson%20Mnangagwa%20called%20it%20%22a%20restoration%20of%20dignity%20and%20a%20demand%20for%20justice%20that%20has%20been%20denied%20for%20far%20too%20long.%22%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20repatriation%20also%20underscores%20a%20growing%20continental%20movement%20demanding%20European%20museums%20and%20governments%20return%20African%20cultural%20artifacts.%20Germany%20returned%20a%20portion%20of%20a%20bird%27s%20pedestal%20in%202003%3B%20Belgium%20held%20a%20%3Cem%3ELegacies%20of%20Stone%3C/em%3E%20exhibition%20in%201997%20that%20helped%20build%20pressure%20for%20that%20return.%20Now%2C%20advocates%20say%2C%20the%20focus%20must%20shift%20to%20the%20British%20Museum%2C%20the%20Louvre%2C%20and%20other%20institutions%20still%20holding%20African%20heritage.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAlongside%20the%20bird%2C%20eight%20ancestral%20human%20remains%20%E2%80%94%20also%20taken%20during%20colonial%20raids%20%E2%80%94%20were%20handed%20over%20in%20a%20ceremony%20that%20combined%20state%20protocol%20with%20traditional%20Shona%20spiritual%20practice.%20Families%20who%20had%20waited%20generations%20for%20the%20return%20of%20their%20forebears%20wept%20openly%20as%20elders%20performed%20the%20%3Cem%3Ekupomba%3C/em%3E%20requiem%20rites.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20message%20from%20Harare%20to%20the%20world%20was%20clear%3A%20Africa%27s%20heritage%20belongs%20to%20Africa.%20And%20the%20long-deferred%20work%20of%20bringing%20it%20home%20has%20finally%20begun%20in%20earnest.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EImage%3A%20Zimbabwe%20Bird%20sculpture%2C%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20%28Public%20Domain%29%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E

Zimbabwe Celebrates Return of Last Sacred Stone Bird Stolen by Colonialists Over a Century Ago Read More »

Anti-France Influencer Kemi Seba Arrested in South Africa, Faces Extradition to Benin

Kemi Seba, the French-born Beninese activist who built a social media empire built on fierce anti-French sentiment and open admiration for Russia’s expanding influence in West Africa, was arrested in South Africa on Monday, April 14, 2026, setting in motion what could become one of the region’s most politically charged extradition proceedings. South African police

Anti-France Influencer Kemi Seba Arrested in South Africa, Faces Extradition to Benin Read More »

Ruto vs. Gachagua: The Battle for Kenya’s Political Soul in 2027 Has Already Begun

They were election-winning brothers. Now they are bitter enemies. And as Kenya’s 2027 presidential race takes shape, the rupture between President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has become the single most consequential fault line in East African politics. The political partnership that swept Ruto to State House in 2022 — built on

Ruto vs. Gachagua: The Battle for Kenya’s Political Soul in 2027 Has Already Begun Read More »

Julius Malema Sentenced to Five Years in Prison: South Africa’s Most Radical Voice Now Faces the Bench

Julius Malema, the firebrand leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and one of the most polarizing figures in African politics, was sentenced on April 16, 2026 to five years in prison after being convicted for firing a rifle into a crowd at a political rally in 2018. The KuGompo City Regional Court delivered

Julius Malema Sentenced to Five Years in Prison: South Africa’s Most Radical Voice Now Faces the Bench Read More »

Pope Leo XIV Draws 120,000 to Open-Air Mass in Cameroon, Tells Africa: You Are Not for Sale

In one of the largest religious gatherings Africa has seen in years, Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass at Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon on April 17, 2026, drawing an estimated 120,000 worshippers who filled the arena and surrounding streets in a sea of song, color, and fervent faith. The Mass — held under

Pope Leo XIV Draws 120,000 to Open-Air Mass in Cameroon, Tells Africa: You Are Not for Sale Read More »

Africa’s Consulting Landscape Shifts as the Big Four Face Fresh Challenges from Local Rivals

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Africa’s Consulting Landscape Shifts as the Big Four Face Fresh Challenges from Local Rivals Read More »

Nigeria Concludes 4.65 Trillion Bank Recapitalisation Programme — Africa’s Biggest Banking Sector Overhaul

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Nigeria Concludes 4.65 Trillion Bank Recapitalisation Programme — Africa’s Biggest Banking Sector Overhaul Read More »

Kenya’s Break from IMF Gives Ruto Fiscal Room Ahead of Key Electoral Test

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Kenya’s Break from IMF Gives Ruto Fiscal Room Ahead of Key Electoral Test Read More »

DRC Launches Strategic Cobalt Reserve to Navigate Volatile Global Markets

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DRC Launches Strategic Cobalt Reserve to Navigate Volatile Global Markets Read More »

DRC Launches Strategic Cobalt Reserve to Navigate Volatile Global Markets

The Democratic Republic of Congo has taken a decisive step to shield itself from the unpredictable swings of the global cobalt market, with the government unveiling a strategic national reserve programme designed to stabilise revenues even as international prices continue to fluctuate wildly. Cobalt — a critical component in the batteries that power electric vehicles

DRC Launches Strategic Cobalt Reserve to Navigate Volatile Global Markets Read More »

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Burkina Faso Junta Dissolves 118 NGOs and Civil Society Groups in Widening Crackdown Read More »

Gabon Opposition Leader Bilie-By-Nze Jailed as Political Tensions Rise Before Elections

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Gabon Opposition Leader Bilie-By-Nze Jailed as Political Tensions Rise Before Elections Read More »