Reservation and sanitary pass required to attend the conference in the Auditorium. Limited number of seats. Registration available here.

Programme Wednesday 24 November 2021

08:15-09:00 Reception and coffee

09:00-09:30 Introduction

09:30-10:30 Taonga, Te Moana, Tupaia: Reflections of the Rangiwaho Marae, an artist, and a curator on the return of Cook collections from the UK.
Khadija von Zinnenburg Carroll, Julie Adams, Kay Robin and Jody Toroa.

10:45-11:45 Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures: Collaboratively researching the collections from Namibia at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin.
Larissa Förster, Julia Binter and Golda Ha-Eiros.

12:00-14:00 Lunch break

14:00-15:00 Maguta Museum: Celebrating historical memories and ancestral traditions.
João Pacheco de Oliveira and Salomão Inácio Clemente.

Programme Thursday 25 November 2021

08:45-09:30 Reception and coffee

09:30-10:30 More than a guulany (tree): Aboriginal Knowledge Systems.
Brook Garru Andrew, Brian Martin, Roslyn McGregor and Kimberley Moulton.

10:45-11:45 Yahguudang.gang: To Pay Respect.
Jisgang Nika Collison and Lucy Bell.

12:00-14:00 Lunch break

14:00-15:00 Cosme & Damião: A project for a twin collection for the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (MN), Brazil, and for the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (MOA), Canada.
Nuno Porto and Renata de Castro Menezes.

15:15-15:45 Debate and conclusions

15:45-17:00 Aperitif

About

There are many initiatives in Europe today in the field of provenance research of colonial collections. This conference brings together an international panel in which tandems of people are given the opportunity to share their in-depth expertise and original experiences in terms of participative provenance research, leading to diverse solutions for re-appropriation. These pairs are usually composed of museum professionals on the one hand, and collection’s stakeholders, from various cultural backgrounds on the other hand. The speakers are invited to report on joint experiences in the co-construction of research methodologies, revitalization of indigenous knowledge and practices, and promotion of creativity around objects from disputed or historically sensitive colonial collections.
The intention of this conference is therefore to broaden the scope of reflection around the issue of provenance research from a decolonial perspective, that is, critical, ethical, sustainable and equitable. The speakers' presentations aim to reflect a more decolonial approach to provenance research, rooted in experimental field practice, and promoting innovative forms of negotiating the future of colonial collections. More than a documentary research operation followed by a "data sharing", or an administrative treatment aiming at the possible physical return of an object for moral or legal reasons, decolonial provenance research is an opportunity to develop equitable relations with bearers of culture linked to museum collections of colonial origin. These different approaches, as discussed in the conference, can help to revive narratives, objects or practices that strengthen the cohesion of the group, its identity or its memory.
Developing relationships of trust and fair exchanges with communities from where the objects originate, in sometimes sensitive and always idiosyncratic contexts, is one of MEG's strategic objectives. The MEG intends to encourage both the creation and the co-construction of knowledge by questioning its collections and by developing new links with living culture bearers and other stakeholders.

This conference is made possible by the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture FOC.