Eric Kuikende
In 2022, 41 contemporary art curators, researchers, and museum directors from 24 different countries were awarded to attend the CIMAM 2022 Annual Conference. The CIMAM 2022 Annual Conference, titled "The Attentive Museum. Permeable Practices for a Common Ground", was held in Mallorca (Balearic Islands), Spain on 11–13 November, hosted by Es Baluard Museu d'Art Contemporani de Palma.
Eric Kuikende's Conference Report
As a provenance researcher, I appreciate meeting new people and learning from their experiences, particularly those who practice museums differently. My research focuses on how museums might assist in the stabilization of nations ravaged by conflict. The topic of the annual CIMAM conference in 2022 fully complements my fieldwork. Researchers and museum professionals are recommended to reconsider the concept of museums in their entirety due to the negative connotations linked with museums throughout their history. The modern world requires museums that pay attention to and accurately represent local populations.
This is why I found the theme "Unlocking History and New Narratives" and the topic "Uncomfortable Museum" by Sandra Gamarra Heshiki so fascinating and intriguing. This topic addresses numerous questions that museum personnel and the general public pose daily. Why am I required to visit a museum that was inherited from a contentious historical period? How might museums encourage visitors to their collections? How can museum exhibits portray the genuine identity of the people without resorting to stereotypes? I was quite interested in learning about and identifying the types of unpleasant museums and exhibitions. In my personal perspective, an uncomfortable museum is one that has failed to go beyond conventional colonial beliefs regarding indigenous cultures. In addition, an uncomfortable museum is one that cannot unlock the past of the people and accept the new narrative.
In the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the history must be decoded and presented in a new narrative for the collectors and the public. Not only did colonization isolate the Congolese from their culture, but it also altered the traditions' authentic narratives. Therefore, the museum faces a significant challenge in attracting more Congolese to its exhibits. One reason is that museums are still viewed as a form of colonial continuity, and others believe what colonizers said, that everything indigenous was witchcraft. Therefore, new narratives for museums are unavoidable, and unlocking history is also more important to enable everyone to identify with museum exhibits. I continue to believe that any exhibition that does not reflect the true history of the people further divides and stigmatizes museums with colonial overtones. Sandra's presentation was excellent, as it encouraged museum professionals to focus on various aspects of decolonizing museums. Specifically, the historical, descriptive, and identical aspects.
The historical aspect would not entail a simple repetition of everything written in books or depicted in films. Nonetheless, a comprehensive reconsideration of everything said about a community. In the case of the Congolese people, considering the historical aspect necessitates that we tell the true story of the people as told by the indigenous regardless of the circumstances. The majority of Congolese books were written by Belgians, so today many Congolese do not identify with everything written about them.
The thematic or descriptive aspect necessitates that museum professionals avoid themes or object descriptions that divide or separate communities, opting instead for descriptions that are authentic and consensual. Most African nations are composed of more than one ethnic group, so exhibitions should also take into account this multi-ethnic aspect of Africa. Lastly, the identical aspect implies that museum activities should contribute to the development of the identity of the people. The most difficult aspect of exhibition planning is meeting everyone's expectations or identifying the target audience.
The presenters at the annual conference developed and addressed the three aspects of museums in the new context of decolonization in a robust manner. I regret not attending this session in person because I missed my flight on two separate occasions. However, the CIMAM annual conference was very much welcomed by my entire staff at the National Museum of the DR. Congo and hopefully, in the coming days will contribute intensive