Bonus: Decolonising the AfricaMuseum with Bart Ouvry
We sit down with Bart Ouvry, managing director of AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, Belgium, to speak about the challenges he faces attempting to decolonise a colonial museum. Established in 1898, the museum originally served as a propaganda tool to lend support to Belgium's King Leopold II's colonial ambitions in Congo and central Africa. By the late 20th century, the museum was being widely and critically called into question, leading to a five year renovation plan that started in 2013, intended to revamp it both physically and philosophically. Since reopening in late 2018, AfricaMuseum has continued to receive mixed opinions from many different perspectives. This testifies to the complexities and controversies that remain inherent within any discussion about historical narratives and what different and divisive consequences they can bear for people today. To hear more about the museum team’s journey in forging a path through this mire, we were lucky enough to sit down with Bart in his office to ask him about his own background, the importance of history, about his role at the museum and about what it’s like to lead a team that is faced with tackling such difficult and monumental task.
Julian Smith and Joe Wegecsanyi sat down with Bart Ouvry at AfricaMuseum. Photo by Katy Kent.
Julian and Joe stand on the stairs outside the rotunda of the AfricaMuseum. Photo by Katy Kent.
Bart Ouvry in his office at AfricaMuseum. Photo by Katy Kent.
Julian Smith, Bart Ouvry and Joe Wegesanyi. Photo by Katy Kent.