A 33-pound timber piece from a 1794 slave ship will return to South Africa in 2026 after a 10-year loan to the U.S. museum.

A 33-pound timber piece from the São José-Paquete de Africa, a Portuguese slave ship that sank in 1794 with over 400 enslaved Africans, will be removed from the National Museum of African American History and Culture on March 22, 2026, ending a 10-year loan to South Africa’s Iziko Museums. The artifact, recovered in 2015 and displayed since 2016, will be returned in a custom crate due to its fragile state. Other ship items, including ballasts, will remain on display for two more years, while a cargo manifesto will replace the timber. The change stems from conservation and loan terms, not political review, and marks the conclusion of a significant cultural exchange highlighting the trans-Atlantic slave trade.