The exhibition “History(s) of Tanzania” at the Humboldt Forum provides a multifaceted insight into the past and present of a country that has been shaped by trade networks and colonialism like no other. Early on, transregional trade routes connected Tanzania’s present-day societies with the world. The colonial era in particular, first under German and then British rule, left behind deep traces of oppression, exploitation and violence — the consequences of which continue to have an impact to this day. More than 10,000 objects from present-day Tanzania are now in the Berlin Ethnological Museum, and many of these “cultural belongings” are to be permanently restituted to the National Museum of Tanzania. The exhibition was developed collaboratively with curatorsand community representativesfrom Dar es Salaam, Songea and Berlin. It presents stories from a variety of perspectives and gives East African artists space to critically scrutinise the colonial gaze. The architectural language of teak and bamboo creates a protected and at the same time aesthetic framework for the objects and experiences.
A special component of the show is the international school project “City Research”, which links Berlin and Dar es Salaam: Young people investigate visible traces of colonialism in their cities and present their findings in short films. An accompanying programme of events with contemporary artists from Tanzania and the diaspora will shed light on current debates and cultural re-appropriation. “History(s) of Tanzania” is thus not only a retrospective, but also an impulse for visions of the future beyond colonial narratives — a polyphonic plea for dialogue, reflection and cultural self-determination.
