Abstract
For over a century, Western museums have exhibited African religious objects through a discursive lens inherited from colonialism, reducing them to mere ethnographic curiosities or instruments of ‘fetishism’. This paper examines how German ethnological museums perpetuate this interpretative framework through the use of terminology such as “fetish”, “idol”, “magical object” or “magical figures”, applied to religious artefacts from Cameroon. Based on a study of catalogues, inventories, collectors’ archives and observations in museum storage rooms, the analysis reveals that these categories are not neutral. They actively produce narratives that distort the identity of the objects and the communities that created them. By imposing Eurocentric labels, often disconnected from the languages and cosmologies of the communities of origin, museum institutions construct a narrative that projects an exoticising or profane vision onto African objects. This work shows how these museums classifications contribute to decontextualisation, a form of identity violence, and influence their religious values through the use of colonial and ethnological language. Finally, this paper proposes ways to rethink museum narratives. This involves revaluing endogenous terminology, contextualising ritual uses, collaborating with communities of origin, and critically revising inherited categories. By re-examining the power of words in museums, it becomes possible to imagine more inclusive, fairer and historically responsible modes of representation.
Presenters
Yrine Karitou MatchindaResearch Assistant in Cameroonian-German Research Project: "Reverse History of the Collections. Cameroon's Cultural Heritage in German museums", Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, West, Cameroon
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MUSEUM TERMINOLOGY, REPRESENTATION, RELIGIOUS OBJECTS, FETICHISM, COLONIAL COLLECTIONS
