THE RETURN OF EL NEGRO BY CAITLIN DAVIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

 El Negro was the name given to a southern African man whose body was stolen from his grave in the early 19th century by two respected French naturalists. The body was stuffed in the same way that trophy animals are stuffed and sent to Europe to further the cause of scientific racism and to 'entertain' the public.  It eventually ended up in a glass case in a museum in a small Spanish town. In the 1990s, after a decade of protest and protracted political and diplomatic exchanges, it was finally agreed that the body be repatriated to Botswana.  In October 2000, El Negro was laid to rest in a sombre state burial in Gaborone, capital of Botswana.  It was then that the triumph for Africa turned sour. Although the true identity of the man has never been established, he has come to symbolise all those who were murdered, excavated and stolen from Africa by 19th century explorers and naturalists. In this carefully researched and immensely readable book, Caitlin Davies throws open the debate about what is appropriate in the name of 'science' where human remains are concerned.  In the process, she retraces El Negro's fateful journey to Europe, including a search for the missing grave goods without which it is believed the stolen man cannot rest in peace. Soft cover, very good condition.  The paper is browning a little.