African Digital Heritage director, Chao Tayiana Maina contributed to the publication of Supporting decolonization in Museums - published by the Museums Association in 2021. Below you can find excerpts from the publication as well as a link to download it. “The MA is proud to have developed this guidance in collaboration with colleagues from across the museum sector. Many museums are already working on addressing the legacy of colonialism by rethinking their displays and collections and by working with communities in the UK and abroad. At a time when this history is under more scrutiny than ever, it is vital that museums engage in these discussions and reappraise their own historical role in empire. We will continue to work with museums to support them on this journey.”
Sharon Heal, Director, Museums Association
Colonialism has profound human consequences. It is an expression of power that relies upon oppression, extraction of resources and silencing other ways of being and knowing. Many museums in the UK are part of the legacy of British colonialism through the collections they steward, their institutional histories, structures and wealth, and the stories they tell. Throughout history museums have helped to make the case for colonialism by collecting and cataloguing empire, and by advancing racist and prejudiced views of the world. Such views and attitudes still exist today – museums can and must play their part in righting past wrongs and creating a better world for all those affected by colonialism.
Decolonizing begins with respect and care for all. Museums need to meet the basic human needs of all who visit and work in and with them. This includes physical access and the ability to communicate and affect change. If museums get this right we create the foundations for change. In the present moment conversations about decolonization attract intense interest. You might choose to engage in this work because you have felt misrepresented, absent or marginalized by colonialism. Alternatively you might understand decolonizing practice as an exercise in ally ship. Rather than being self-defined, ally ship is about amplifying the perspectives of the people you hope to support and being recognized as an ally by those you work with. Everyone will have different motivations for doing this work, but for all of us decolonizing depends on a long-term commitment to the practice.
This document is intended as a prompt for thinking, discussion and action on decolonizing. It offers tools for those who want to improve their practice through decolonial thinking and suggests initial steps for those who are committed to this work, but don’t know where to start. It also aims to give strength and support to those already doing this work.
In creating this document, we are taking steps to reflect on our own structures and ways of working. We are on this journey with the sector.
For more information visit: https://www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns/decolonising-museums/supporting-decolonisation-in-museums/
