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23 objects from the collection of the Ethnologisches Museum der Staatli-chen Museen zu Berlin will travel to Namibia on 27 May 2022 as part of the partnership research project "Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures" with the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN). The exhibits include historical everyday objects, jewellery, tools and fashion. They were selected by a Namibian group of experts due to their particular historical, cultural and aesthetic significance. Cultural heritage communities, scientists and artists in Namibia will research these objects and the collections of the National Museum of Namibia in detail and reactivate them with their knowledge. In addition, the objects will serve as a source of inspiration for Namibian artists and thus contribute to Namibia's creative future. The journey of the objects to Windhoek marks a milestone in this project, as does the opening of the Museum of Namibian Fashion in Otjiwarongo on 1 June 2022.

23 objects from the collection of the Ethnologisches Museum der Staatli-chen Museen zu Berlin will travel to Namibia on 27 May 2022 as part of the partnership research project "Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures" with the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN). The exhibits include historical everyday objects, jewellery, tools and fashion. They were selected by a Namibian group of experts due to their particular historical, cultural and aesthetic significance. Cultural heritage communities, scientists and artists in Namibia will research these objects and the collections of the National Museum of Namibia in detail and reactivate them with their knowledge. In addition, the objects will serve as a source of inspiration for Namibian artists and thus contribute to Namibia's creative future. The journey of the objects to Windhoek marks a milestone in this project, as does the opening of the Museum of Namibian Fashion in Otjiwarongo on 1 June 2022.

Esther Moombolah/Gôagoses, Director of the Cultural Heritage Programme at the Namibian Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture and Director of the National Museum of Namibia (NMN), is delighted that her institution is participating in this ground-breaking research project. She emphasises: "One of the core objectives of the partnership is to reconnect the historical objects from the Namibian collection of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin with the cultural heritage communities, artists and scientists in Namibia. The objects have the potential to contribute significantly to the revitalisation of cultural heritage in Namibia."

Hermann Parzinger, President of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz, adds: "The project is of great importance to the SPK, as it combines various aspects that are highly relevant for a contemporary approach to collections from colonial contexts: On the one hand, the intensive collaboration with experts from the regions of origin and an exchange of ideas on how to deal with the collections that really takes place on an equal footing. On the other hand, a creative rethinking of the collections, in this case as an archive of Namibian fashion and design history, as exemplified in the exhibition at the Humboldt Forum. The fact that the Gerda Henkel Foundation is so generously funding this collaboration is valuable to us."

Project "Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures"

The cooperation project aims to tap into the creative potential of the collections from Namibia, which are kept in the Ethnological Museum in Berlin and the National Museum of Namibia in Windhoek. It reconnects the collections with each other and with their communities of origin, with researchers, artists and the public in Namibia. The project also supports the establishment of a new museum - The Museum of Namibian Fashion - in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. This combination of the critical reappraisal of the colonial-historical links between the collections in Berlin and Windhoek and the creative reinterpretation of the collections makes the project exemplary.

Several central processes are taking place as part of the project: The cooperative provenance research on the collections from Namibia at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin and the preparation of an exhibition on the research process at the Humboldt Forum have been completed. One result, for example, is the installation of the work "Untitled" by Namibian fashion designer Cynthia Schimming, which is currently on display in a prominent position on the first floor of the Humboldt Forum.

Based on the joint provenance research, 23 objects from the Ethnological Museum are now travelling to Namibia, where they will be brought into dialogue with the collections of the National Museum of Namibia. Over the next two years, workshops with Namibian cultural heritage experts, researchers and contemporary artists will be conducted at the National Museum of Namibia using the objects from both museums, as well as research in cultural heritage communities throughout Namibia using digitised collections.
Capacity building to strengthen the National Museum of Namibia and the Museums Association of Namibia in the areas of conservation, digitisation, curatorial practice and social engagement is also a central point. For example, the 23 objects selected for the trip were prepared in close collaboration between conservators from the Ethnological Museum and a conservator from Namibia.

Ndapewoshali Ashipala, Acting Director of MAN and co-project manager, explains: "The aim of 'Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures' is to reactivate knowledge about the objects, to document and preserve intangible and tangible cultural heritage in order to provide an important source of inspiration for Namibian artists and designers. The knowledge thus created is shared with the general public in an online database as well as in an exhibition at the newly founded Museum of Namibian Fashion in Otjiwarongo and an exhibition at the National Art Gallery in Windhoek. The Museums Association of Namibia views museums as organic cultural and research centres that grow and change over time. Therefore, we do not see the opening of the Museum of Namibian Fashion as the end of a chapter, but rather as a catalyst for deeper research and conversation."

Julia Binter, provenance researcher and co-director of the project at the Central Archive/Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin, describes the project development: "The joint research process with our partners from Namibia has above all given us the opportunity to listen and learn. The research questions that we initially developed at the Ethnologisches Museum arose from our conviction that we have a responsibility to understand the colonial contexts in which the objects were acquired. We also wanted to analyse whether objects were directly linked to colonial violence, in particular the genocide committed by Germany against the Ovaherero and Nama between 1904 and 1908. Our Namibian research partners have shown us that it is equally important to look ahead and develop creative visions for the future. Hence the title of our joint project 'Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures'."

Larissa Förster, Head of the Department of Cultural and Collection Items from Colonial Contexts at the German Lost Art Foundation and scientific advisor to the project: "Objects from Namibia and the examination of German colonial rule in Namibia have been neglected in museum work in Germany for many decades. The project addresses this blind spot. We hope that the project will pave the way for more long-term cooperation between the German and Namibian museum and cultural heritage sectors and for further returns of artefacts."

Lars-Christian Koch, Director of the Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin, summarises: "By bringing stakeholders in Namibia back into contact with the colonial collections from Berlin and Windhoek, the project contributes to dealing with colonial traumas, stimulates new cultural creation and supports the development of a decolonial, creative future."

The Namibia collection of the Ethnological Museum

The historical collections from Namibia at the Ethnological Museum were largely acquired during the German colonial period (1884-1919). Their provenances have been researched since the beginning of 2018, since 2019 together with Namibian partners. The collections reflect colonial appropriation processes, some of which were extremely violent. They also show the creativity and ingenuity of the people of Namibia. They are therefore an important source for historical research and serve as inspiration for artists and designers. Due to the German colonisation of Namibia, the vast majority of such objects are located in German and non-Namibian institutions and are therefore not accessible to most Namibians. The project, funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, is a first step towards redressing this imbalance, starting with the journey of the objects to Namibia. The reconnection of the objects with knowledge producers in Namibia will enable a self-determined historiography from Namibian perspectives and a revitalisation of Namibian cultural heritage.

Further information:

Press images: http://www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/newsroom/presse/pressebilder.html

Museum of Namibian Fashion: www.namibianfashion.com