Conference paper, Friday, October 19th, 2007, 2:45 p.m.

Koeki Claessens: The Royal Museum for Central Africa: From Colonial Museum to International Reference Institute for Central Africa

Africa-Tervuren

In this same spirit of dialogue, the educational programmes are developed in close collaboration with partners from Belgium’s African communities and what has become an annual ‘Africa<>Tervuren’ event aims at bringing the African communities to the museum and raising awareness about Africa amongst the public at large.

Conference: The role of the diaspora in the development of Subsaharan Africa

This conference was organized by the Worlbank, the African diaspora and the RMCA. It brought around 200 representatives of the diaspora and African associations together with representatives of the Worlbank and the Belgian government

The year 2003 was labelled as La Parole aux Africains, the floor to the Africans, with various special exhibits on African contemporary art, work of African photographers and on African languages and music.
Cheri Samba realized in this context a painting for the museum reflecting on the renovation . We also organized an exhibition of 15 of his works around the theme: mutation: mutation in the museum, mutation in the arts, mutation in Congolese society.

Dissemination of information

Major efforts were also made to improve the dissemination of information on Africa through websites, on-line databases, and a digital information centre.

For example:

Contribution to sustainable development of Africa

Another important aspect of awareness-raising is the contribution the RMCA can make to the sustainable development of Africa through

F.e.: The exhibition Congo. Nature and culture: Paris /Tervuren/Lubumbashi

To fulfil the sustainable development aspect of the mission statement, the RMCA accepted on invitation of UNESCO and its World Heritage Centre to organize an exhibition on the natural and cultural diversity of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the relationship between man and his natural environment in this country. This was for the occasion of an international donor conference organised at UNESCO in 2004 for the preservation of national parks in the DRC. The exhibition, ‘Congo: Nature and Culture’ gave the museum the opportunity to conduct a ‘trial run’ of sorts on interdisciplinary research and exhibitions. After Paris the exhibition was installed in the RMCA during another year and it is currently on display at the Museum of Lubumbashi, DRC. Around this exhibition workshops are elaborated in collaboration with the education and culture service of the Musée national de Lubumbashi.

Renovation of the museum

The last but absolutely not the least is the renovation of the museum itself. To be able to transform into a modern and dynamic Africamuseum we had to revisit our origin. Only then can we renovate the reference exhibition.

Revisiting our origin

‘The Memory of Congo. The Colonial Era’
The RMCA is today still seen as one of the most powerful symbols of the colonial past of Belgium. The architecture of the building and many displays in the permanent exhibition still refer to its colonial past. The museum is still often associated with the Belgian view on colonial Africa of before 1960, when DR Congo gained independence.
In order to transform into a modern and dynamic museum for Africa, it was necessary to first deal with its own history of a colonial institution. This meant organizing a large-scale exhibition on Belgium’s colonial past. This exhibition was considered a fundamental step in the transformation of the institution and the first step towards shedding its identity as a colonial museum, neither by suppression nor institutional self-hatred, but rather by exploring critically and integrating its colonial past. The exhibition was indeed a trying process for the institution as it meant working together with the various research departments–a hitherto little known way of working–and working on a large-scale project with the newly established museology service, and especially dealing with sensitive issues–not only for itself but for two nations, if not more.
An international scientific committee was set up chaired by a renowned Congolese professor and comprising both Congolese and Belgian scholars to ensure a balanced analysis of that historical period. The exhibition ‘The memory of Congo’ took place from February to October 2005 and was an enormous success. More than 140.000 people visited the exhibition which was accompanied by a large number of other activities such as debates, seminars, film projections and special educational activities both for adults and for young people. Most importantly, the exhibition led to widespread attention and debates within the Belgian society with hundreds of press articles and media broadcasts. During the period of the exhibition no single day went by without a radio or television program, or a newspaper article to highlight one or other issue of Congo’s colonial past and the role of Belgium in it. The impact of the exhibition has been very profound. At society level it led to a process of soul-searching and reflection. This was very remarkable, especially if one realizes that most Belgians grew up with a very favourable image of the Belgian colonization of Congo.

Subsequently this exhibition, the history gallery of the museum was profoundly renovated in close collaboration with the African communities through the advisory committee mentioned above.

Plan of intention

Parallel to the preparation of the exhibition, the RMCA set up a plan of intention for the renewed permanent exhibition. This plan emphasised taking into consideration: the bond between Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Belgium; the incredible wealth of its collections, which serve as reference collections and for which the museum is responsible; and the research conducted in the natural and human sciences, which is unique within one such institution. It also stipulates that the building, being listed a historical monument, should be dealt with in such a way that its original architectural spirit be accentuated and that where possible, the building should be utilised to communicate about the colonial project. In fact, the uniqueness of the institution is brought forth in this plan, which serves as a theoretical framework for the initial phase of the renovation. Meanwhile, discussions and brainstorm continue.
The whole Museum staff is invited to participate in this thinking process, international experts are consulted and regular interactions are organized with representatives of the African diaspora in Belgium to integrate their views on how contemporary Africa should be portrayed in the new museum. However, the renovation of the museum building has to be seen in a broader holistic plan that includes the renovation of the entire RMCA site with its 7 buildings and a 4 hectare park. The formal proposal for the renovation of the museum site and building was approved by the Belgian federal government in 2006. The winning architectural team just got appointed. The renovation of the whole comprises 2 parts: the development of the masterplan of the whole site and the renovation of the museum building and its permanent exhibition.
Therefore a programme of needs is being developed. Here again the whole museum staff has been invited to participate in this thinking process and external experts are being consulted. Via workshops the functions and the interlinks are being specified in order to be able to give a well documented and clear scheme of the museum in its totality to the architects.

As it stands now the actual works will start in 2010 to be finished in 2013.

Towards the future

Over the coming years the RMCA will renovate its facilities, museography and permanent exhibition, strengthen its societal role through stimulating intercultural dialogue, promoting a positive image of multicultural societies and intensifying its collaboration with the source communities. The number of visitors is expected to more than double from 150.000 to more than 300.000 every year. New publics will be attracted through targeting efforts and a much wider range of cultural and educational activities and of scientific services will be offered to the public.
All this will consolidate the museum’s reputation as a curator of world heritage and a leading scientific and information dissemination institute on Central Africa. It will also enhance its reputation as the world reference centre of knowledge on Central Africa.
The Museum will then be a meeting place where people share experiences, where intercultural dialogue is promoted, where children of mixed cultural origins can find the tools to construct their own identity and where people in general are stimulated to come to terms with the past and to become responsible civilians in a globalized world.

Sources:

– Gryseels G., Landry G. & Claessens K., Integrating the Past: Transformation and Renovation of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, in European Review, Vol.13, n° 4, 637-647, (2005)
– Annual reports
– Framework programme and management plan 2006-2008

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