Museums in Europe and the US confront their colonial past

RM* distributes this overview article from El País to show that the discussion in Spain is gaining momentum.

Maybe it does not contain much news for experienced readers, the lines about Portugal might contain some news:

One of the most symbolic gestures regarding the decolonization of Portuguese historical and cultural heritage occurred in mid-2023.

The University of Coimbra began advocating for 29 skulls to be returned to East Timor. They belonged to the inhabitants of a mountain village, who were decapitated by Timorese soldiers in service of Portugal in the Laleia War (1878-1881).

Shortly afterwards, the remains of the murdered people were transferred to the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Coimbra, for the use of research about racial differences, a popular field at the time.

Although Timor hasn’t made an official request, the Portuguese institution is in favour of returning the skulls to their country of origin.