Blocker Blog - Entry 3: The Humboldt Forum

The Humboldt Forum upon first impressions for me was a new type of museum institution in comparison to other museums that I have been to. Upon its many controversies I have built an increasingly critical view of the Forum in a way that helps me create a type of ideal space where reflection and action that can be done in a museum setting, particularly in a setting that holds various archeological artifacts. Now, the Humboldt Forum in a broader sense holds space for conversations that are other than just acknowledging colonial and imperial history that I also enjoy to see.

For context, the Humboldt Forum hosts different exhibitions that have different categories of items that ranges from the sciences to the humanities and the arts in its different levels. A particular space that really holds the space to start deep conversations about various topics is the Humboldt Lab. The Humboldt Lab, located on the first floor is a 1,000+ square space where, in partnership with Humboldt-Universität, has ever changing exhibitions about scientific topics that the public is able to interact with and have a deep conversation about the topic. Although I myself have not been to the Humboldt lab so far, its existence does give me a scope as to how the Forum overall starts and facilitates conversations about the many topics around living on Earth whilst educating the public on various subjects for context and background. On a first glance, this reminds me on the multiple science museums in the US that have interactive and conversational spaces for people to have to talk about certain subject; though they are very much as means of educating but not really encouraging further thought as to how different scientific advances can deeply affect other aspects of life, with there also being an undertone for having these spaces mainly for children that could align with current educational curricula. The Forum just gives me the energy that it wants to take conversations even further for anyone to part take.

As for the cultural artefacts that are located on the second and third floors of the Forum, one of my critiques as to how the institution have conversations about historical acknowledgement and even accountability, is how selective they are about certain artefacts as means to bring attention to them for eventual restitution and repatriation. A prominent example would be the Benin Bronzes and their recent notoriety regarding their repatriation to their region of origin. The bronze sculptures are from the Kingdom of Benin, which is located in the modern country of Nigeria in West Africa. Although Germany did not colonize this region of West Africa, in them being in the discussion of historical acknowledgement and accountability, is very much needed. However, what its important to realize is that these artefacts were looted by the British which was the largest colonial power in Africa. In dedicating the time and effort of having these pieces having space for conversation, I believe that it deviates energy from talking about other objects that Germany directly looted and stole during its colonial period: places such as Namibia, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, various Polynesian islands. Although I appreciate the Forum talking about and taking action with returning the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, the British Museum should bring attention to that (despite the fact that the Forum is one the first places in Europe that emphasizes a type historical accountability) while the Forum could focus on the Mandu Yenu throne or the multiple South Sea boats.

Overall, in the way that the Forum practices its agenda towards acknowledgement and restitution I see it as being in many ways a first in a museum setting, which the more I think about it is something that is late income and slow to show in every institution. The tangible legacy of colonialism is something that still heavily lingers and affects the way that people have access to objects that tell a history of a certain peoples and I hope to explore that further through logistical analysis of the Forum and nitpicking every once in a while.