A version of this article was published in print in Artpaper issue no 8.
The Royal Museum of Central Africa, known as the Museum of Belgian Congo at its inception in 1910, was the last colonial museum of its kind in Europe. Belgium could have just closed it like all the other former colonial powers did with theirs.
Instead they decided to confront the ghosts of their past and opted for a 5 year, 70 million Euro remodelling exercise. When the museum finally re-opened in December 2018 it was to a mixed reception. Critics implied that the challenge had not been met satisfactorily.
Undoubtedly, the task was an extremely difficult one. As the museum’s director, Guido Gryseels, said in an interview, “Entire generations of Belgians came here and got the message that colonialism was a good thing, that we brought civilisation and welfare and culture to Congo”. The project of changing what the museum stands for has so far taken ten years. It involved the input of experts from the African diaspora, giving them a chance to tell their side of the story. There is also an effort to show pre-colonial African history to make the point that Congo had a long history of its own, way before any colonisation took place.
Gryseels admits that the process of “decolonisation” is a slow one and sometimes hampered by the museum building itself. For example, one of the most prominent rooms, the Rotunda, has gilded bronze sculptures embedded in niches that depict Belgium’s ‘civilising mission’ in the Congo. Since the museum is protected by heritage laws these controversial statues cannot be removed. A solution was found by commissioning contemporary Congolese artist Aimé Mpane to produce a work to juxtapose with the offending statues. His piece, entitled ‘New Breath or Burgeoning Congo’, has been placed on a pedestal in the middle of the Rotunda.
Before I continue with the museum’s story may I ask you to bear with me while I give you some historical context. Belgium’s history of colonisation in the Congo River Basin starts in the latter part of the 19th century when Europe directed its imperialist expansion towards Africa. Representatives from 14 European countries attended the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 to decide how to go about colonising Africa, effectively sharing its resource-rich lands between themselves. King Leopold II of Belgium took this as his cue to claim - as his personal fiefdom - an area 80 times the size of Belgium. He called it the “Congo Free State” and under a philanthropic cover he set about exploiting the country and its people. His reign of terror is reported to have been responsible for the death of up to 10 million Congolese as a result of abuse, starvation, overwork and diseases.
Leopold used the World Fair of 1897, held in Brussels, as a propaganda tool for his Congo project. The colonial exhibition was set up at his country estate in Tervuren, on the outskirts of Brussels, and included the deplorable staging of a ‘human zoo’. For this, more than 260 Congolese were brought to Belgium and kept in an enclosure on the estate, now the museum’s park, for the amusement of the visitors, causing the death of seven of them.
Still, the exhibition was such a success that Leopold saw the need for a permanent museum and set about building it with funds derived from his horrific exploits in the Congo. Eventually Leopold’s projects ran into debts and the international outcry over abuses committed became so strong that in 1908 he had to transfer authority over his colony to the Belgian government.
The Museum of Belgian Congo opened in 1910, a year after Leopold’s death, showcasing mainly the valuable resources - rubber, ivory, wood and minerals - the colony had to offer. Over the years the collection expanded, adding artefacts, preserved samples of wildlife and photographic material. Yet the viewpoint for presenting it always remained the perspective of the white colonisers. It was only when Gryseels became director in 2001 that the process of change began. He says that “confronting a colonial legacy in a building constructed to glorify it was an enormous challenge.”
The museum now markets itself as a forum for debate, showing that it condemns colonialism as a system. Wall texts have been cleaned of contentious words like ‘pioneers’ or ‘hut’ and the new display highlights the problems of colonisation.
Seeing itself as a “centre for knowledge and resources on Africa” the museum’s focus is on education, promotion of sustainability and giving support and help where it is welcomed.
The curatorial concept of arranging the collections according to ethnographic themes is aided by the layout of the building with the exhibition halls grouped around a central courtyard. The display starts with languages and music, covers landscapes and biodiversity, rituals and ceremonies, taking in resources and not least of all the history, including colonial history and independence. It genuinely makes for interesting viewing.
Before entering the main exhibition halls the visitor passes through an introductory space with interactive displays that put the colonisation process in a critical light. Gathered in one dark side room, are all the outright racist sculptures that used to be scattered throughout the museum. By putting them there, out of the way, the museum distances itself from its racist and pro-colonial past.
Another display here focuses on the manner in which many of the exhibits had been obtained. The legality of acquiring the objects is often questioned - and not just by the museum itself. After the opening of the Africa Museum, the DRof Congo demanded the restitution of the art works that were appropriated by Belgium. Restitution of African artefacts is supported by many people, including French president Macron. In 2018 he highlighted the ignoble fact that over 90% of Africa’s art is held in museums outside Africa and initiated a process to return African art to former colonies.
A visit to the Africa Museum throws up many questions. Could the condemnation have been more pronounced? Does it have to be more pronounced? Do we need to look at pictures of atrocities to be able to condemn them? Doesn’t the history of the place speak for itself?
On the walls of the tunnel that connects the visitor centre to the main museum, the following quote is written in six languages: “Everything passes - except the past” . Therefore, as we cannot change what has passed, shall we let this museum be what in the German language is so aptly called a ‘Mahnmal’ - and what is best translated as ‘a warning from history’. It is never easy to confront the bitter truth of one’s past once it is known to all. What can make a difference though, is trying to make amends. Despite all the criticism the museum still receives, it can be posited that the Belgian Africa Museum is on the right path to a successful metamorphosis if it can change the way its visitors perceive this difficult legacy of humanity.
If you want to read some more about the museum and its activities please go to their website. You can see the extensive collections here or read more about the process of the museum's renovation here.
Read more about the artist Aimé Mpane and his work, including the sculpture at the museum here.
Please click through the picture gallery for some more information in the captions.