“When the AfricaMuseum reopened six years ago, the criticism of activists was not tender. That’s why I applied to the public service in 2021 to help write an innovative story: a museum that is more diverse, inclusive and fair.
Some found the appointment of the current director in 2023 a missed opportunity. Could this older white man provide renewal? I supported him openly then because he deserved a chance. More than a year later, my point of view has changed.
This column is a resistance to the current state of affairs. I am writing it out of commitment and as a call for a multi-voiced debate on the social role of the museum at a time when the government negotiators are also looking into the future of federal scientific institutions such as the AfricaMuseum.”
8 January 2025 In the AfricaMuseum, time has stood still The AfricaMuseum can be a place where we can come to terms with our colonial past. But new insights and emotions from recent years passed the museum by. It missed the opportunity to bring the world from the outside in, to be a meeting place for social and critical debate.
