Wo ist Afrika? Wo ist Afrika? offers insights into the Linden-Museum’s African collections.

It was curated in 2019 by Dr. Sandra Ferracuti with the intention of engaging historically, aesthetically, and critically with the complex concept of “African culture.” The exhibition uses selected examples to show how collections have been created, how they have evolved, and how they have been presented differently throughout history.

Stories of collecting

Drawing on a variety of thematic and historical perspectives, the exhibition addresses provenance research of colonial-era objects as well as contemporary culture and art production in Africa. How were ethnographic collections appropriated during the colonial period? Where did the objects come from, who were their “collectors,” and how were African cultural products presented in former exhibitions? Which themes and questions have become more important in recent years? How do we talk about artifacts that are not supposed to be seen in public? Or those that have been violently looted and plundered?

Cultural practice: connections and relationships

A strong focus of the exhibition is to show Africa in all its interconnections, connections and relationships – far beyond the continent – and how these relationships are expressed in cultural practices. Beauty care, table manners, memory techniques, court ceremonies, important objects for diplomatic relations, mask dances – these and many other themes are addressed through selected objects. Many of the objects on display come from Cameroon, the Congo Basin, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Tanzania, and were collected during the “race for Africa” at the end of the 19. and at the beginning of the 20th century.

At the same time, the exhibition celebrates contemporary African culture-the global interconnectedness of everyday urban life, the transcontinental expertise and mobility of sculptors and glassmakers, the cultural diversity of modern African art. Wo ist Afrika? explores the history and stories inscribed in the objects and what they (can) stand for today.

Collaboration and constant change

Wo ist Afrika? takes a process-oriented approach that challenges the sole interpretive authority of the museum, presents a multitude of parallel narratives, and raises important questions about our social coexistence today. Developed in collaboration with the Advisory Board for the Representation of Africa Collections (ABRAC), as well as cultural practitioners and artists Africa and the Diaspora, the exhibition offers space for multiple perspectives, including specially commissioned artworks.

The exhibition is continually modified by the current Africa Department and its collaborative partners, and thus also conveys more recent developments such as current research findings, restitution processes, and collaborative projects.