Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is the owner of the collections and has developed a scientific policy around the restitution of heritage. A crucial report from 2019 sets out criteria and procedures for returns. The definitive policy framework was established thanks to a 2020 report on colonial collections in Dutch museums. The demands of former colonies have priority for return. The role of diasporic communities is uncertain, with laws suggesting that their views may be considered in restitutions, although their current involvement is limited.

The Pressing Matter project (2021–2025) investigates the possibility that colonial objects can contribute to the reconciliation of Dutch society with the colonial past and its legacy. The project is also interested in the contradictory demands that different actors and actresses articulate around museums holding collections of colonial origin. The project proposes new models of value and ownership, with the aim of fostering more inclusive and equitable museological practices. A transdisciplinary consortium develops these models to address the debate on the restitution of colonial heritage.

Our colonial inheritance, organized at the Amsterdam branch of the Wereld Museum, is an exhibition that invites contemporary artists—mainly from the former colonies—to reflect on the colonial past. The project integrates their works and testimonies in museum units with videos by experts, with the intention of involving their voices in the reformation of the institution’s narrative. The exhibition was originally conceived in 2017 and was scheduled to be inaugurated in 2018. However, the coronavirus epidemic led to a delay until 2020. The June 2020 criticisms and the Black Lives Matter movement influenced them to include these demonstrations in the same exhibition.

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Pressing Matter
Our Colonial Inheritance Exhibition at Wereld Museum