Departure for processing: Experience colonial history in the museum for the first time!
Departure for processing: Experience colonial history in the museum for the first time!
Sterndamm 102, 12487 Berlin, Deutschland - On June 27, 2025, the permanent exhibition "Looked back | Looking Back" was opened in the Treptow Museum. This new exhibition addresses the history and aftermath of the "first German colonial exhibition", which took place in Treptower Park from May to October 1896. It places a special focus on the biographies and the resistance of 106 children, women and men from Africa and Oceania who were shown to an audience of millions during this exhibition.
The "First German Colonial Exhibition" was of significant importance for the presentation of colonial fantasies and racist stereotypes. Not only politics and business were involved in the event, but also churches as well as ethnological and scientific museums. Many of the participating people were not aware that they should be presented in Berlin to use a form of the Völkerschau. Some like Kwelle Ndumbe from Cameroon even opposed their excluded role.
First step in the culture of memory
The exhibition "Reviewed | Looking Back" is the result of a cooperation between the Treptow-Köpenick museums and the project network decolonial culture of remembrance in the city. It is the first permanent exhibition that deals with the topics of colonialism, racism and black resistance in a public Berlin museum. This takes a significant step towards a critical examination of German colonial history.
Historically, the colonial past has played a subordinate role for a long time, but this has changed significantly in recent years. Interest in German colonial history has increased, and there are increasingly social debates on colonial issues. These discussions are reflected in the renaming of streets or the controversy around the Humboldt Forum.Current relevance of colonial history
The exhibition not only offers insights into history, but also illustrates the historical context of the colonial exhibition and its structure. With the opening in Treptow, the topic of the colonial past gains in addition to the already ongoing courses at German universities that are regularly offered to German colonial history.
The journey through German colonial history is characterized by various phases of memory -political discussions. Reflection on colonialism has gained driving over the past decades, about the role of Germany in the world and the current interest in colonial issues in public discourse. Initiatives to change colonial street names and the debate about the return of colonial artifacts are just a few of the aspects that show how present and relevant these topics are today.
The permanent exhibition is open to anyone interested at the opening times from Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with exceptions on Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free and registration is not necessary, which underlines the accessibility of the important topic.
For more information, also visit the website of the city of Berlin: berlin.de , museumsportal-berlin.de and bpb.de .
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| Ort | Sterndamm 102, 12487 Berlin, Deutschland |
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