In September 2022, more than 80 international partners from different regions of the world – including numerous delegates from Indigenous communities – attended the grand opening of the permanent exhibitions at the Humboldt Forum. Most of them had contributed to the development of the exhibitions in various roles. Numerous debates and workshops on the future of cultural belongings in Berlin’s collections resulted in the declaration “Dignity – Transparency – Continuity”. In addition to the handling of “objects”, it also addresses such issues as decolonial education, the concerns of the partners in their own communities, and the ideals and ethics of collaborative work.
Indigenous voices as part of museum work
One of the central concerns of the partners was to establish an embassy at the Humboldt Forum in order to ensure effective forms of co-determination on a permanent basis. The 2022 meeting marked the foundation of the Global Cultural Assembly (GCA). Together with the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss, both the Ethnologisches Museum and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst have been engaged in a collective process of participation and co-determination with regard to their international partners.
GCA and CoMuse
Since the launch of the “Collaborative Museum”, this process has been continued as a joint project in collaboration with the Stiftung Humboldt Forum. The project is designed to bring about long-term structural changes.
In October 2023, seven members of the GCA circle met again in Berlin and formed a preparatory group, which then organised the next major assembly in 2025. On this occasion, the assembly elected a Reference Group to continue the work together with the Berlin team.
Forms of co-determination
The question of how to implement effective co-determination in concrete terms is currently the subject of negotiations and change processes. The Preparatory Group is also involved in the annual theme “Family Matters” (opening 2025).
Further Information
Podcast episode: #1 The Global Cultural Assembly
Declaration “Dignity – Transparency – Continuity”
Exhibition hall at the Humboldt Forum
Project Key Info
Region: worldwide
Communities: various
Cooperation partners / Preparatory Group: Achiles Mujunangoma Bufure (Tansania), Feride Funda G.-Gencaslan (Deutschland Türkei),Diana Guzmán (Kolumbien), Fabiano Kueva (Ecuador), Laibor Moko (Tansania),Tina Moukodi (Kamerun), Deepak Tolange (Nepal), Orlando Villegas (Kolumbien) Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Kanada)
Research: Andrea Scholz, Gina Knapp gemeinsam mit Katharina Kepplinger, Lien Heidenreich-Seleme und Uta Kornmeier (SHF)
Project duration: until end 2025