The humiliating and haunting return of El Negro to Africa

El Negro received a warm welcome when he was returned to Botswana in 2000
El Negro received a warm welcome when he was returned to Botswana in 2000

The October 2000 repatriation of the human remains popularly known as ‘El Negro’ (Spanish for ‘The black one’) constitutes a textbook example of how not to carry out such an exercise.

The remains were returned in an incomplete and undignified manner in gross violation of professional protocols and ethics, as well as indigenous sensibilities, while key stakeholders were not consulted.

What was thus meant to have been a triumphant return of a son to his soil, bringing closure and a degree of reconciliation to an evil chapter in the annals of Europe’s violation of Africans, instead degenerated into controversy.

Editor's Comment
The people have spoken

In fact, early election results in some areas across the country, speak to large voter turnout which suggests that voters crowded at polling stations to decide appropriately. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) revealed that 80% of the 1,037,684 people who had registered to vote turned up to exercise their right.It’s unfortunate that at the time of cobbling this editorial comment, results had just started trickling in. We recognise that...

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