Workshop: ’Stolen from Africa’? Restitution of Namibian cultural heritage in Switzerland

Namibian and Southern African Studies Research Colloquium

In Zusammenarbeit mit SGAS Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Afrikastudien, Centre for African Studies der Universität Basel, den Basler Afrika Bibliographien und dem Völkerkunde Museum der Universität Zürich

This workshop brings together the interested public, students, Swiss and Namibian curators and heritage practitioners. It focuses in general on the lively restitution debates on (African) cultural heritage in African and northern/western (museum) collections. In Switzerland, these debates continue to receive a low priority in the (art) museum sector. The workshop takes Namibian cultural heritage as housed in Swiss institutions as a case study. In joint sessions with Namibian professionals from the Namibian Museums Association (Jeremy Silvester) and the University of Namibia (Martha Akawa), the following themes and topics will be address and discussed: Where is Namibian cultural heritage to be found in Swiss collections and how have these heritage collection been acquired and are curated? What is provenance research? What is restitution and how are museums collaboration and restitution processes, including the repatriation of cultural heritage, initiated and facilitated?

Download:Flyer (pdf)

Visit of Swiss Museums by the Namibian participants, 9th and 10th May 2019
The Namibian guests visit museums in Berne and Zürich where they will meet for talks with the responsible curators and directors.

Further information:SAGW-Veranstaltungsreihe Raum-Espace

This workshop is part of the spring semester's Namibian and Southern African Studies Research Colloquium. Please find attached the entire semester programme and other documents.

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