Art, culture, aesthetic photo ops and one of the best views of the city: at first glance,
Berlin's Humboldt Forum seems to have it all. But it's also faced controversy over its display
of looted African artifacts.
What's the current situation?
The current situation is that the Benin bronzes don't belong to us anymore.
We just transferred the ownership.
This means it's the property of the state of Nigeria.
I've been wary of visiting because of the controversy surrounding it.
But the Forum also claims to focus on colonial injustice stories.
So I want to see for myself what's going on here.
As provocative and some people might say antagonistic as this architecture might be
it is opening the discussion.
This place constantly pops up on my social media as one of THE things to do in Berlin.
It recently opened to the public in 2021.
And today I'm going to check out to see if it lives up to its reputation.
But first: what actually is the Forum?
Think museum meets art exhibition space, meets cultural hub, right in the city centre.
And the most popular attraction here: the rooftop terrace.
Okay, the view from up here is admittedly one of the best in the city.
You've got the Berlin Cathedral here,
Museum Island,
TV tower, of course,
and you can just see the Brandenburg Gate over there in the distance.
The building's exterior is a complete reconstruction of the Berlin Palace,
So why is the Forum so important for Berlin?
Berlin grew in the 18th and 19th century around this structure, this palace.
This is Tarek Ibrahim, visitor advocate at the Humboldt Forum.
If you look at any map, the streets kind of radiate around here.
That disappeared or was destroyed after its demolition in the Second World War.
The East Germans built their own parliament here, the Palace of the Republic.
But that never really quite restored the urban fabric.
Consequently you are looking at putting back the heart of the city.
Being an old Prussian palace, and now this focus on global art, especially
colonial injustice stories – how does that fit together?
I think a lot it wasn't even apparent to many people, the problematics
of exhibiting works related to the legacy of imperialism, colonialism,
in an imperial reconstruction.
I actually think that that contrast drives the dialogue. Because it seems in some ways
so strange to put these collections in a reconstruction of a palace.
In this architectural nostalgia for empire.
It certainly opens a conversation.
Yeah, and that's exactly what we want here.
I mean, we're talking here about the Humboldt Forum,
a place for discourse and dialogue.
And I think that as provocative and, some people might say, antagonistic
as this architecture might be, it is opening the discussion
that for a long time has been neglected.
So it was kind of originally planned as Germany's version of the Louvre, right?
Of the British Museum, they always say.
Of the British Museum. And what do you think about that?
I think comparisons to institutions that have such problematic histories
in regarding to their collections
and the manner in which these collections were acquired acquired is dangerous.
In Germany, visiting a museum is often with the use of the word 'Pflicht'.
which means obligation.
Okay.
In Great Britain and in America, visiting a museum is 'Vergnügung' – it's enjoyment.
In that sense, I think you can make the comparison to the British Museum
or culture institutions in North America or Great Britain.
After talking to Tarek, it's about time I head inside.
The contrast between the old, Prussian style and the modern structure
is quite aesthetically pleasing,
and I can see why it draws visitors.
But conceptually it seems strange to rebuild an imperial structure,
especially given the kind of art that's on display here.
Let’s check out some of the exhibitions.
Most of the permanent exhibitions here are completely free,
which isn't the case in most museums in Berlin.
So that’s definitely a benefit!
There's a mix of permanent and temporary exhibitions here,
many of which are immersive and interactive
Like this one on 'Living with Death'.
The Forum's initial mission was to be in touch
with as much of the world as possible
with a focus on colonial injustice and black and indigenous stories.
Many of the exhibitions here display art and artifacts from all over the world,
in particular from Africa and Asia.
But it also tells local stories.
'Berlin Global' maps the history of politics and revolution in the city.
But also pop culture – like for example the prevalence of techno music in Berlin's history.
This huge industrial door is actually an integral part of Berlin's history.
And most recently, it was the door of Berlin's famous club, Tresor.
Speaking of clubbing, you can even immerse yourself
in the industrial sound of Berlin's famous techno scene.
But Germany's legacy of colonialism is also an important topic –
one that's prevalent throughout many of the Forum's exhibitions.
This specific exhibition has sparked recent controversy,
over who has the right to own and display African art or objects.
The Benin Bronzes of which this is one,
are some of the most coveted African artefacts in the world.
The Nigerian artefacts were looted from the sacked city of Benin
by the British in 1897 and then later sold to German museums.
Though the single largest collection of Benin Bronzes is still held at the British Museum.
Nigeria has asked for all the artefacts to be returned, and Germany cooperated.
We just transferred the ownership of all the objects to the state of Nigeria.
This is Dr. Christian Koch, Director of Berlin's Ethnological Museum.
How did you come to that conclusion or that decision?
The decision came after a long discussion.
So we discussed with our partners from Nigeria and we decided that the situation nowadays
is different from what it was decades ago.
We are just in a situation at the moment where we say that this looting of the objects
was definitely injustice and we have to take action in this way.
And this was the decision that we return the objects.
The Benin Bronzes are the most famous objects on display,
but the Ethnological Museum is also returning some looted artifacts
from other countries to their original homes.
You see that we don't have originals on display here.
We have copies of, I would say, the most important objects for our colleagues from Namibia.
You see pictures, photographs and a lot of text,
a lot of different opinions, different perspectives.
This is so crucial because all these objects are pre-colonial.
It was established, at least for our colleagues in Namibia,
that for them it's much more important to get objects back from before the colonial period,
because this shows there was a history, significant history, before colonial time.
So – the use of copies, films, text, putting objects into context – is this the future?
Very straight, yes.
Because we would like to get these collections into the future, I would say.
Not only contemporary perspective, but also future perspectives.
And keep the educational side in there.
Take it as educational items, but also just realizing how
do we deal with our history, also with our shared history.
And this we can only do in collaboration.
The repatriation of African Art is a major global topic right now.
It’s interesting to see how the Humboldt Forum has dealt with this controversy
and taken note of the criticism and actually started to return many of these African objects.
As my day here draws to an end, I head back up to the rooftop
for a final view of the city.
TV tower right there!
The rooftop bar is an ideal spot for a coffee, or a cocktail.
It's a really cool space to come up to and reflect
on my time here and the exhibitions that I've seen.
Well, a reconstructed palace right in the center of Berlin
is definitely a selling point.
I can see why it's so popular.
And for me, it's not really overrated because of all the different exhibitions
and stories to be told here.
What do you think of the exhibitions on display here and the place in general?
Would you visit? Let us know in the comments!