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Colonialism in focus: New exhibition highlights resistance in Berlin
Find out everything about the new permanent exhibition in the Treptow-Köpenick Museum, which deals with colonial history and resistance.
Colonialism in focus: New exhibition highlights resistance in Berlin
On October 17, 2025, the permanent exhibition “Looking Back” will open in the Treptow Museum, which deals with the dark history and the aftermath of the “First German Colonial Exhibition”. This important exhibition focuses on 106 biographies of children, women and men from Africa and Oceania who resisted colonial oppression. It not only illustrates the structure of the historical colonial exhibition, but also its context and impact on today's society. Berlin.de reports.
The exhibition is the result of a cooperation between the Treptow-Köpenick museums and the Decolonial Culture of Remembrance in the City project group and is the first of its kind in a public Berlin museum that deals with colonialism, racism and black resistance. Visitors are invited to visit the exhibition from Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free and registration is not required.
Anti-colonial initiatives in Berlin
The topic of colonialism has also found its way into other parts of Berlin. In August 2024, Maji-Maji-Allee and Anna-Mungunda-Allee in the Wedding district were inaugurated. This makes the African quarter in Wedding the first anti-colonial district in Germany. This transformation is the result of decades of activism by individuals and initiatives committed to making the history of anti-colonial resistance visible. Stadtmuseum.de reports.
As part of this commitment, a city-wide photo exhibition was organized, which can be seen in the Wedding Gallery until August 31, 2025. The gallery premises are located at Müllerstraße 146/147, 13353 Berlin, and are open Tuesday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. The finissage will take place on August 16th from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Pekinger Platz. The highlights include the erection of memorial steles in various parts of the district, which provide information about the streets' namesakes and address the colonial context of the street names.
- Standorte der Gedenkstelen:
- Cornelius-Fredericks-Straße
- Manga-Bell-Platz
- Anna-Mungunda-Allee
- Maji-Maji-Allee
Particularly noteworthy is Tonderai Koschke's artistic intervention in the Afrikanische Straße subway station (U6), which builds a bridge between past, present and future and brings African, Asian and diasporic memories into a historical context.