At Manchester Museum, a mailbox placed near the Asru mummy window invites visitors to answer the question: “Should we continue to exhibit Asru’s body?” »». The initiative accompanied the bicentenary, in 2025, of the removal of the deceased strips.
The public consultation comes shortly after the publication, in 2025, of the British parliamentary report Laying ancestors to rest, which advocates no longer presenting human remains, in particular those acquired during the colonial period. ASRU, a Theban dignitary who died some 2,700 years ago, entered the collections around 1820. The mummy and his sarcophagus had been acquired by Robert and William Garnett, cotton traders and son of slave merchant John Garnett. The removal of its strips, a common practice in the 19th century, is today considered to be a desecration.
Sarcophagus containing the Asru mummy.
© Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester
Rather than soliciting specialists, the museum gives the floor to the public. On social networks, many comments claim the withdrawal of the mummy in the name of respect due to the deceased; Some suggest a digital presentation or envisage a restitution.
These exchanges echo the current debates on museum decolonization: questioning of the Western model, restitution of the parts acquired in a coercive manner, and integration of the knowledge of communities of origin. The Manchester Museum also inaugurated the route “Decolonise!” Trail “which questions the history of its collections and the way in which they are exposed. This process earned it the price of the European museum of the year 2024. Founded in 1888, the museum retains more than 4.5 million objects and welcomes around 400,000 visitors per year. His collection of Egypt and Sudan brings together 18,000 pieces.
