Guinea Seeks the Return of the Skull of Anti-Colonial Leader Bokar Biro Barry from France
Guinea’s Minister of Culture, Moussa Moïse Sylla, announced on RFI that the government has officially requested France to return the skull of Bokar Biro Barry, the last Almamy (ruler) of the theocratic State of Fouta Djallon, as well as the skulls of his brother, his father, and his war commander.
“He was beheaded because he opposed colonial expansion into Fouta,” explained Mohamed Amirou Conté, Director of the National Museum of Guinea in Conakry.
The French colonial forces subsequently kept his skull as a war trophy. It is currently housed at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris.
The request is part of Guinea’s efforts to recover cultural and historical heritage taken during the colonial era.