The AfricaMuseum in Tervuren is removing some 30 sculptures from its permanent exhibition. The sculptures offer a stereotypical image of Africans and glorify the colony and its founders.
Five years ago, the AfricaMuseum reopened after extensive renovation work. It was then decided to put sculptures that offer a stereotypical image of Africans in a separate sculpture display. "The images show Africans as very primitive beings. We wanted to illustrate that we have arrived at a museum that wants to show Africa in a much more nuanced and also positive way," says director Bart Ouvry.
From now on this sculpture display will no longer be on view to people visiting the museum without a guide. "The time has come no longer to show these sculptures without the necessary context, because among some individual visitors, who do not know the context, they may still contribute to forming stereotypical views," Ouvry explains.
Pedagogical approach
The sculptures will not disappear entirely but will be placed in a more discrete location. They can still be visited with a guide who provides the necessary interpretation of the museum's history and colonial imagery. "They can only shown together with an educational approach. Showing these sculptures without any commentary to the public at large is no longer feasible," Ouvry concludes.
Many other examples of negative colonial images remain in the permanent exhibition, but with sufficient context and interpretation, says Ouvry.
New exhibition
A new exhibition space for temporary small exhibitions is now planned. The first exhibition will focus on provenance research. This will examine in depth how objects from the collections were acquired. The new exhibition will open in early 2024.