Zimbabwe hails return of national symbol 137 years after being looted by colonialists

The soapstone carving of a local bird—depicted on the flag, banknotes and coat of arms of Zimbabwe—has long been regarded as a cornerstone of the Southeast African country's national identity, but the depicted sculpture remained outside its borders for over a century.

This week marked the return of the last missing centuries-old “Zimbabwe Bird” stone sculpture after being removed during the colonial era.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa described the repatriation as “the return of a national icon”, bringing to an end 137 years of displacement, as reported by Africa News.

The sculpture was returned from South Africa, where it ended up after being taken from its original site and sold to Cecil Rhodes, a British mining magnate and a central figure in the colonisation of present-day Zimbabwe and Zambia. Rhodes later founded the De Beers diamond company and established the Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford.

South Africa returned the bird on a two-year loan, alongside the human remains of several individuals that had been exhumed by colonial researchers and held in museum collections.

“These are not abstractions, but people... removed from their graves, their communities, and their homeland under the logic that their bodies were data,” said Gayton McKenzie, the South African Minister of Culture, at a handover ceremony.

While restitution cases are often associated with European institutions, this transfer stands out as a rare example of one African country returning cultural artefacts to another.

Cultural and historical significance

The Zimbabwe Birds originate from Great Zimbabwe, a medieval settlement built between the 11th and 15th centuries, from which the country takes its name—meaning “house of stone.” Eight such sculptures are known to exist, once mounted on walls and monoliths across the site.

“They are the most significant archaeological treasures ever discovered in the country,” said Plan Shenjere-Nyabezi, an archaeology professor at the University of Zimbabwe.

“The Zimbabwe Birds stand as powerful and cherished symbols of our national heritage.”

Believed to represent the endangered bateleur eagle, the sculptures hold deep spiritual significance, particularly among the Shona and Venda communities.

Looting and a complex journey home

The path to the bird’s return reflects a long and contentious history. According to accounts cited by the article, a European hunter named Willi Posselt removed the sculptures in 1889. Despite resistance from local communities, he took the carving after offering blankets and other goods in exchange.

“I stored the remaining [birds] in a secure place, it being my intention to return and secure them from the natives,” he later wrote, before selling one of the pieces, the same one that was returned this week, to the British colonialist. A British archaeologist who was commissioned by Rhodes to travel to Great Zimbabwe would later find the remaining sculptures that Posselt had stored away.

Over time, Zimbabwe succeeded in recovering most of the sculptures. However, the final bird proved difficult to reclaim due to legal barriers stemming from the 1910 Rhodes Will Act adopted in South Africa, which restricted the transfer of Rhodes’s possessions.

“Every time Zimbabwe asked, the 1910 Act was cited,” McKenzie said.

South Africa has now bypassed the legal obstacle by agreeing to loan the sculpture for two years, while authorities review legislation that could allow for its permanent return. McKenzie said he expects the bird will ultimately remain in Zimbabwe, as efforts continue to resolve the legal framework surrounding its ownership.

By Nazrin Sadigova