To: The Smithsonian Institution
      National Museum of Natural History
      Carnegie Institution of Washington
      U.S. Department of State
      United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
      African Union Cultural and Legal Affairs Commission

PETITION SUMMARY

Between 1909 and 1910, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt led a trophy-hunting and specimen-gathering expedition to East Africa, under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution and financed in part by Andrew Carnegie. The so-called “scientific expedition” resulted in the extraction of over 11,000 animal specimens, including elephants, rhinos, lions, and other endangered wildlife, with deep ecological and cultural consequences for African communities.

This expedition, framed as scientific, was in reality a form of imperial plunder, carried out without the consent of indigenous peoples or postcolonial states. The Smithsonian–Roosevelt Expedition helped reinforce colonial ideologies and removed significant biological and cultural heritage from Africa to the United States without due process or reciprocal benefit.

We therefore demand:

Public Apology from the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Government for the exploitative nature of the expedition and its contribution to ecological and cultural disruption in Africa.

Restitution of archival records, photographs, diaries, and taxidermized animal remains to African institutions and countries of origin (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan).

Ecological Reparations through funding wildlife conservation and community-led heritage preservation in affected regions.

Educational Redress by revising museum exhibits and scholarly narratives that glorify colonial-era expeditions without context.

Independent Audit of museum holdings tied to African expeditions for transparency and ethical accountability.
Sign this petition to demand postcolonial accountability and restorative justice.

“Scientific legacy must not be built on silence, stolen life, or colonial violence.”

✍🏽 Gerald Munduga
📢 #ReclaimAfrica #SmithsonianJustice #RooseveltReparations