"Wo ist Afrika?" invites you to critically explore and re-evaluate contexts and narratives associated to Linden-Museum Stuttgart’s collection of artefacts from the African continent. The exhibition shows how the collections were established, how they developed over time, and which rules of classification they adhered to.

A large part of the objects on display were acquired from Cameroon, the Congo basin, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania between the end of 19th and the first half of the 20th, at the height of the European "Scramble for Africa". "Wo ist Afrika?" examines stories and histories inscribed into these objects and what they can mean for us today. The exhibition opens up a space of cultural creativity, which allows the visitors to near themselves to a wider understanding of culture.

"Wo ist Afrika?" has a process-oriented approach, questioning the authority of the museum by showing a multitude of parallel narratives and asking important questions addressed to our contemporary societal cohabitation.

Karingana wa karingana is a specific expression from Mozambique that is meant to make everyone present aware that a special time to listen has come. When it is pronounced, everyone turns silent: important stories about to be told, stories with a long breath, over time and space, stories for us, stories we tell about us.

If Objects Could Speak
Temporary installation by Elena Schilling and Saitabao Kaiyare in the exhibition
from 2 July 2023

The starting point is a club-shaped object of the Kikuyu, which has been in the holdings of the Linden Museum since 1903. The museum database does not provide any additional information about it - which triggers many questions: What exactly is it and what was it used for? Are there still people in Kenya today who can identify it, and how do they feel about it being in the repository of a German museum collection? Using augmented reality and a film camera, filmmakers Elena Schilling and Saitabao Kaiyare set out on the object's trail to find out more. In their installation, they present their approach and excerpts from their film If Objects Could Speak (Germany/Kenya 2020).

Trailer


Videos

meaningful - Things and their (hi)story
Dr. Sandra Ferracuti, curator of the exhibition "Where is Africa?", presents a sculpture by the Mozambican artist Samson Makamo. Especially important for her are the personal connections she shares with Makamo, which make this object so meaningful for her.

Les séquelles de la colonisation 2, Patrimoine africain et ses conflits en Europe
The performance by Cameroonian artists Raoul Zobel Tejeutsa ("Snake") and Stone Karim Mohamad ("Stone"), which deals with African heritage in Europe, was conceived for the exhibtion and filmed in the museum in 2018. The trailer shows excerpts from the performance, which can be seen in its full length in the exhibition.

Collections online
Collections online offers you open virtual access to the holdings of the Linden Museum Stuttgart. Here you will find detailed information, interesting stories and background information on objects and cultures from all over the world.

The exhibition is supported by: