Objects travel from Berlin to Namibia – long-term, collaborative research process with cultural heritage communities, artists, and scholars.

On 27 May 2022, 23 objects from the collection of the Ethnological Museum of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin travel to Namibia as part of the research project “Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures” conducted in partnership with the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN). The items include historical everyday objects, jewellery, tools, and fashion items. They were selected by a Namibian group of experts because of their special historical, cultural and aesthetic significance. Cultural heritage communities, scholars and artists in Namibia will research these objects and the collections of the National Museum of Namibia in depth and use their knowledge to breathe new life into them. In addition, the objects will serve as a source of inspiration for Namibian artists and in this way 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.

“Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures” is funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. In the first phase of the project, which was completed at the end of June 2022, the focus was on strengthening Namibia's museum landscape. The storerooms at the National Museum of Namibia were renovated and a restorer and a museum expert were employed to catalogue the museum’s collection. The Museum of Namibian Fashion in Otjiwarongo, which will open on 1 June this year, was also established from this funding totalling 400,000 euros. The second phase, which will start with the journey of the 23 objects, will be funded by the Foundation with an additional financing of almost 300,000 euros. Most of the project funds will be used for the work on location in Namibia.

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), emphasises: “One of the core goals of the project is to reconnect historical artefacts in the collection of the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin with communities of origin, artists and scholars in Namibia. The objects have the potential to contribute significantly to the revitalisation of cultural heritage in Namibia.”

The German press release in the newsroom of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation: Exemplarische Partnerschaft zwischen SPK und Museums Association of Namibia geht in nächste Phase - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (preussischer-kulturbesitz.de)