Imani Tafari-Ama | Berlin’s Humboldt forum hosts global cultural assembly

Emotions tend to run high when people talk about the objects housed in European museums. Typically, these artefacts were savagely ripped from the roots of their creation during colonial invasions. Without remorse, most museums have laid claims to the ownership of these treasures. These institutions have, therefore, turned a deaf ear to decades of demands from advocates who have called for the return of the looted artefacts to the countries of their creation as a transitional justice obligation.

Since most museums across the European continent have relentlessly rebuffed calls for reparations, the assumption of responsibility for restitution and repair for the harm caused by the theft of the artefacts is still to be realised. The confiscation of the property of the people who were terrorised by genocide and colonial crimes has resulted in the present problem of Europe’s ownership of these materials. Ongoing calls for the return of the museums’ collections to the source communities have largely been ignored.

RECKONING WITH THE PAST

In response to this cultural heritage dilemma, the Humboldt Forum, the “crazy castle” in Berlin, opened its impressive space in 2022 to start the painful process of reckoning with the past. This first step acknowledges that colonialism is not confined to the past but has left indelible imprints for present and future generations to resolve.

The process of accountability was renewed this year, from June 15-22. Dubbed the Global Cultural Assembly (GCA), this initiative mobilised delegates who travelled to Berlin from the seven continents of the globe. The objective of this conference was to forge a working partnership between the Humboldt Forum and the source communities from which the hundreds of museum pieces it owns were stolen.

Further, the summer gathering of scholars and activists was convened to catalyse the formulation of a model of ethical curatorial engagement. This ambitious project is, therefore, being developed to ensure that source communities’ demands for a justice approach to the ownership of the troubled objects will be systematically tackled.

Germany’s Humboldt Forum is singular in its willingness to invest resources for transforming the status quo. This institution is also responding positively to the action declaration formulated by the GCA delegates. With the objective of forming a global embassy, the conference declaration called for action to alter the hierarchical operations of the Humboldt Forum. The recommendation is for the present power arrangement to be replaced by a partnership approach, which is inclusive and participatory.

Michael Nioll Yahgulanaas, who was actively involved in the process of developing the alternative North-South cooperation agenda for the conference, declined to even refer to the approximately one million items housed in the Humboldt Forum’s collections as “objects”. According to him, this terminology perpetuates the impression that these materials are passive recipients of Eurocentric domination.

ACTIVE BEINGS

On the contrary, Michael said that these materials are active beings, capable of feeling. He emphasised that from their creation and throughout the journey of their looting and storage in foreign lands, they have embodied the trauma and alienation experienced by people in the source communities who have never accepted their violent removal.

“The natural cultural material that we call “entities” are “diplomats,” Mr. Yahgulanaas continued. “These entities contain the possibility of relationships. New relationships can be developed from the exchange of these entities. So if we just imagine our past, it’s an “object” in the collection. Imagine our future, it becomes a “diplomat.” I think that if we move fast, we’re talking about changing post-colonial relationships and developing different power relationships based on diplomacy.”

This alternative perspective on objects, therefore, results in imbuing the entities with living characteristics. An alternative curatorial sensibility also provides the basis for developing redress approaches between museums, the communities they underdeveloped in the past, the people they currently serve and future clients they plan to attract.

“The character that you will put into it (the entity) is different than what I will put, and that’s okay,” Michael added. “We focus on strength and diversity. Rethinking the character of the entities makes a difference. It actually proves that the stature of these “dead” pieces depends on perspectives. Our alternative point of view enlightens them and makes them breathe new life into the future. They become verbs not nouns, active and not passive beings.”

The notion that there is an intrinsic relationship between entities and the humans they represent was incorporated in the recommendations drafted by GCA participants at the end of the conference. Delegates underscored that it is important to bridge the gaps that have always existed between the Humboldt Forum, the entities they are hoarding in storage, those displayed in the museums and the source communities from which they were looted. This means the assumption of responsible curatorial practices within the institution and improved access of the source communities to the entities of their heritage towards the realisation of the restitutive justice objectives.

It was clear from the intense discussions among the conference participants that putting this rethinking process into action is not a panacea. The generation of the political will to expand the promise for sustainable change to happen will be a slow process. However, delegates were optimistic that the formulation of a global embassy composed of dedicated organizers was an encouraging first phase. The next step of pursuing improvements in curatorial practices at the Humboldt Forum has created an important precedent for museums, which is expected to inform future trends.

In the final analysis, the GCA delegates drafted a memorandum of understanding to bear witness to the importance of patient and persistent practices of talking back to institutional power. Delegates emphasised that a shortcut to access will be the digitisation of the massive collections. This finesses the reluctance of the Humboldt Forum to part with the physical entities, which are still imbued with power and value. The very existence of the museum would be threatened if the coffers of entities were returned to their places of origin.

Ultimately, political power brokers in source countries will also need to be more proactive about protecting their own legacy. The present lackadaisical approaches of governments in the Global South to leveraging their heritage interests actually serves to reinforce the power wielded by institutions like the Humboldt Forum over the confiscated entities. The process of cultural consciousness should, therefore, be accelerated, with sensitivity to the importance of legal savvy and cultural awareness to the process of transformation and justice.

Imani Tafari-Ama, PhD, is a Pan-African advocate and gender and development specialist. Send feedback to i.tafariama@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com.