On April 24, 2025, The Africa Institute at Global Studies University hosted a lecture as part of its Restitution and Reparation: Africa and the Post-Colonial Condition Fellowship series. The session, titled “Provenance & Restitution: Africa Museum and its Colonial Legacy“, was presented by Professor Didier Gondola, Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellow at The Africa Institute and Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.
Moderated by Professor Salah M. Hassan, Chancellor of Global Studies University and Dean of The Africa Institute, the lecture focused on the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, Belgium, and the complexities of addressing its colonial history. Professor Gondola examined the museum’s renovation, completed in 2018, which aimed to reframe its narrative. While the overhaul introduced new curatorial language and displays, Professor Gondola suggested it fell short of meaningful structural change.
“Despite the museum’s makeover, it continues to grapple with the deeper structures of its colonial past,” Professor Gondola said. “Beyond changes in display or narrative, we have to confront the historical conditions under which these objects were acquired—and how that legacy still shapes the museum’s relationship with African communities.”
Drawing on archival research, Professor Gondola traced how many of the museum’s African collections were obtained during the colonial period under coercive or opaque circumstances. He emphasized that restitution is not only a legal or logistical question but also one of cultural and epistemological significance.
The event drew a diverse audience of students, scholars, and faculty, many of whom engaged in the concluding Q&A session. Questions focused on the responsibilities of European museums, current restitution efforts, and the broader legacy of colonial collection practices.
This was the second public event in the Fellowship series, supported by the Open Society Foundations, which invites scholars and practitioners to engage with urgent questions around the return of looted African artifacts and broader considerations of post-colonial justice. The series began with a lecture by Chika Okeke-Agulu, Robert Schirmer Professor of Art and Archaeology and African American Studies, and Director, Africa World Initiative, Princeton University, who explored new paradigms for African museums in light of restitution efforts in his talk, “Restitution and the Postcolonial Museum.”
Fellowship Applications Now Open
Applications for the Restitution and Reparation: Africa and the Post-Colonial Condition Fellowship are currently open. The program will run from September 2025 through December 2026 and will host three fellows over three academic semesters. It is open to researchers working on restitution, repatriation, and reparation in the context of African and African diaspora cultural heritage.
Click here for more information and to apply.
On April 24, 2025, The Africa Institute at Global Studies University hosted a lecture as part of its Restitution and Reparation: Africa and the Post-Colonial Condition Fellowship series. The session, titled “Provenance & Restitution: Africa Museum and its Colonial Legacy“, was presented by Professor Didier Gondola, Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellow at The Africa Institute and Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.
On April 24, 2025, The Africa Institute at Global Studies University hosted a lecture as part of its Restitution and Reparation: Africa and the Post-Colonial Condition Fellowship series. The session, titled “Provenance & Restitution: Africa Museum and its Colonial Legacy“, was presented by Professor Didier Gondola, Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellow at The Africa Institute and Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.
Moderated by Professor Salah M. Hassan, Chancellor of Global Studies University and Dean of The Africa Institute, the lecture focused on the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, Belgium, and the complexities of addressing its colonial history. Professor Gondola examined the museum’s renovation, completed in 2018, which aimed to reframe its narrative. While the overhaul introduced new curatorial language and displays, Professor Gondola suggested it fell short of meaningful structural change.
“Despite the museum’s makeover, it continues to grapple with the deeper structures of its colonial past,” Professor Gondola said. “Beyond changes in display or narrative, we have to confront the historical conditions under which these objects were acquired—and how that legacy still shapes the museum’s relationship with African communities.”
Drawing on archival research, Professor Gondola traced how many of the museum’s African collections were obtained during the colonial period under coercive or opaque circumstances. He emphasized that restitution is not only a legal or logistical question but also one of cultural and epistemological significance.
The event drew a diverse audience of students, scholars, and faculty, many of whom engaged in the concluding Q&A session. Questions focused on the responsibilities of European museums, current restitution efforts, and the broader legacy of colonial collection practices.
This was the second public event in the Fellowship series, supported by the Open Society Foundations, which invites scholars and practitioners to engage with urgent questions around the return of looted African artifacts and broader considerations of post-colonial justice. The series began with a lecture by Chika Okeke-Agulu, Robert Schirmer Professor of Art and Archaeology and African American Studies, and Director, Africa World Initiative, Princeton University, who explored new paradigms for African museums in light of restitution efforts in his talk, “Restitution and the Postcolonial Museum.”
Fellowship Applications Now Open
Applications for the Restitution and Reparation: Africa and the Post-Colonial Condition Fellowship are currently open. The program will run from September 2025 through December 2026 and will host three fellows over three academic semesters. It is open to researchers working on restitution, repatriation, and reparation in the context of African and African diaspora cultural heritage.
Click here for more information and to apply.
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