Belgium

From June 5 to 7, 2023, the technical coordinator, José Alonso, and the academic coordinator of the program, Alberto López Bargados, traveled to Belgium with the aim of learning about different cultural institutions and research projects regarding the provenance of colonial collections.

Among the highlighted visits was the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) in Tervuren, an institution with a long history tied to Belgian colonial history. Founded under the initiative of King Leopold II and inaugurated in 1910, the museum has evolved to offer a more critical perspective on its past and the objects it holds, particularly those of Congolese origin.

Accompanied by curator Julien Volper, we were able to access both the permanent exhibition and the reserve rooms. The exhibition incorporates elements directly related to provenance research. Once visitors enter from the museum’s foyer/basement, they encounter a series of display cases featuring objects defined as “fruits of looting.”

Furthermore, the implementation of a guiding app allows for contextual information on the acquisition, conservation, and possible restitution of some objects. The visit also included a meeting with Celia Charkaoui, coordinator of the provenance research program, who explained the PROCHE project (MB21 – Recherches de PROvenance sur la Collection ethnographique – Herkomstonderzoek op de Ethnografische collectie), a research initiative funded by the Belgian government.

Its launch responds to the many social and political discussions that have intensified in recent years to understand the historical context and methods of acquisition of Congolese cultural heritage objects collected during the colonial period. As part of this effort, a residency program for African scholars has been established to conduct provenance studies using the museum’s archives and collections.

Another point of interest during the trip was the visit to the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) in Antwerp, a space that brings together collections from various former municipal museums. MAS has an extensive collection, with more than 600,000 objects accessible online. Among its collections, the section dedicated to pre-Columbian art and colonial collections stands out, many of which come from the former Belgian empire in Congo.

Head curator Els de Palmenaer led the tour and introduced us to the semi-permanent exhibition Fret. À propos du port, de gens et des marchandises, which explores the history of the Antwerp port in global trade, including its role in European colonialism. This exhibition provides a critical perspective on the trade networks that supported colonial expansion and the circulation of objects and people.

Regarding provenance research, MAS has launched a project funded by the Flemish government aimed at studying the origin of specific objects, such as a Songye nkishi captured in violent circumstances in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This project has involved collaboration with Congolese researchers and academic institutions, but it has also generated controversy within the African diaspora in Belgium, particularly regarding the selection of the objects studied and the allocation of funds. Despite these tensions, the project seeks to foster dialogue and transparency about the provenance of African cultural heritage held in Belgium.

+info:
Musée Royal de l’Afrique centrale (MRAC, o Museu Tervuren)
RMCA Permanent Exhibition
PROCHE – Projet de recherche de provenance
Museum aan de Stroom d’Anvers (MAS)
MAS Online Catalogue
Exhibition Fret. À propos du port, de gens et des marchandises – MAS
Recherche de provenance sur la Collection Congo – MAS