Here's an interesting thing at the Musee Africain in Tervuren, a carving depicting what appears to be a woman leading another woman home in chains, then the captive woman seems to be giving the captor... err oral pleasure, while the woman's husband seems to be, err pleasing himself.
But again no context or explanation as to what this might be from the museum.
This is the blog of writer and journalist Andrew Walker. The title comes from Northern Nigeria, where all folk tales begin: "A story a story, let it go, let it come" and end with the saying "off with the rat's head."
Showing posts with label Royal Museum for Central Africa Tervuren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Royal Museum for Central Africa Tervuren. Show all posts
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Masque de ceremonies initiat
Here is a classic example of why the museum does need to change. This mask, and countless others like it, are just marked "Mask pour ceremonies de initiat - Sud Congo". No context, no explanation of how it was acquired, or ideas about who wore it, when and why. It's just a trophy taken from a savage people.
The Africa Museum Brussels
This is the museum that was built to celebrate King Leopold's "civilising mission" in the Congo.
It's having a "farewell" exhibition, as it is about to close for several years to undergo a refurbishment.
One of the things they will be addressing is the tone of some of the displays, which portray african culture as primitive and savage and the influence of the Belgians as civilising.
After visiting, I hope they keep some of those cabinets intact as an illustration of their attitude of the time.
It would be a great injustice to whitewash the past with a thoroughly modern museum; full of contemporary attitudes to anthropology and artifacts that made no recognition of what the historical attitudes of the coloniser were.
It's having a "farewell" exhibition, as it is about to close for several years to undergo a refurbishment.
One of the things they will be addressing is the tone of some of the displays, which portray african culture as primitive and savage and the influence of the Belgians as civilising.
After visiting, I hope they keep some of those cabinets intact as an illustration of their attitude of the time.
It would be a great injustice to whitewash the past with a thoroughly modern museum; full of contemporary attitudes to anthropology and artifacts that made no recognition of what the historical attitudes of the coloniser were.
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