*A significant piece of history is coming down from one of Washington’s most visited museums.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture will remove a timber remnant from the slave ship “São José-Paquete de Africa” from its “Slavery and Freedom” exhibit, and visitors have until March 22 to see the artifact before it is taken down, The Associated Press reports.
The 33-pound timber piece has been on loan from the Iziko Museums of South Africa since the museum’s 2016 opening. The borrowing arrangement was originally structured as a five-year deal, later renewed in 2021, and is now set to conclude on July 1. Given the artifact’s delicate wooden composition, the museum must construct a specially built crate to transport it safely back to South Africa.
The ship’s ballast stones, which were used to stabilize the vessel during its voyage, will remain in the gallery for two more years before following the timber back to South Africa. In the meantime, a document listing the ship’s cargo will be installed in place of the timber.
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The “São José” was a Portuguese ship that went down in December 1794 near Cape Town after striking a rock, with more than 400 Mozambican captives aboard destined for Brazil. Half of those on the vessel perished, while those who survived were resold into slavery in the Western Cape. The wreck was located and brought to the surface in 2015, making it one of the earliest documented recoveries of a slave ship where captive Africans lost their lives.
Museum deputy director Michelle Commander was firm in clarifying that the exhibit change is driven entirely by the loan agreement’s expiration and the conservation requirements of the wooden artifact. “That’s why we’re being transparent in this moment, because we are aware that there are those kinds of questions,” Commander said.
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