The Batwa lechwe skin cloaks embody an underdocumented time and practice among the Batwa that has been erased by colonialism and Christianisation. As such, they serve as untapped repositories that may produce new insights into the Batwa’s indigenous knowledge systems, beliefs, traditions and culture.
Most Zambians, and more specifically members of the Batwa community, lack access to pieces of their cultural heritage or the knowledge and practices that accompany them.
The exhibition Bringing the Objects to Life – and Challenging the Colonial Histories of Museums, set to open in 2026, will include communities of origin in the discussions around Sweden’s role in the colonial project, the entanglement of the museum and how collections of communities’ belongings came to being. There is, however, no plan to include the Batwa community in these discussions, or to extend the exhibition outside of the sites in Sweden. The Batwa lechwe skin cloaks, thus, remain in the custody of the National Museums of World Culture in Sweden, with no immediate or active plans for their physical return.
Currently, there is no plan to return them.
The Shared Histories Digital Repository continues to be hosted in Zambia by the Women’s History Museum of Zambia, despite digital infrastructure challenges in the country. Through this project the Batwa have had their lechwe skin cloaks partially returned, in the form of knowledge restition.
