CFP: Living Forward, Looking Back: Museum Practice for Postcolonial Futures

Living Forward, Looking Back: Museum Practice for Postcolonial Futures 

Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM) & Iziko Museums of South Africa

at the South African Museum

Cape Town, South Africa

March 9-14, 2020

The Commonwealth Association of Museums’ 2020 Triennial International Conference will explore issues of difficult histories in post-colonial societies. Sessions will explore the ways in which museums can enact social change through addressing decolonisation, reconciliation and community engagement.

• Pre-conference workshops
• Collections Management and Preventive Conservation of Human Remains and Sacred Belongings organised in collaboration with ICOM ICME
• Interpreting Difficult History: Curation and Education organised in collaboration with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, ICTOP, ICMEMO and CECA
• Conference presentations at the South African Museum
• Visits to local museums and heritage sites
• Slave Lodge which explores the long history of slavery in South Africa 
• UNESCO World Heritage Site Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison
• District Six Museum, which commemorates the forcible removal of 60,000 residents from a ‘whites-only’ region in 1965 
• Post-conference tour
• Visit Solms Delta, a progressive wine estate that is empowering its previously disadvantaged worker and resident communities through sharing of land and business equity and museums in the region

CAM has had very fruitful collaborations particularly with ICTOP and ICME in recent years and is happy to continue those relationships as well as to be working with new organisations. We invite proposals for papers, panels, PechaKucha presentations, roundtables, posters, and alternative formats such as performances or short films. Interested participants, whether panel chairs or presenters, should send a proposal/abstract in Word of 250 words and a 100-word biography by June 30^th, 2019 to Rachel Erickson and Wendy Molnar: camtriennial@gmail.com

Session themes include:

• Decolonising the Museum: What does decolonising the museum look like in practice? How can museums dismantle residual colonial power dynamics?
• Legacies of Empire: What does the Commonwealth connection mean for museums today? How can museums confront this shared history?
• Trauma and Memory: How can museums best collect and critically engage with difficult histories? How should museums care for visitors (and staff) dealing with trauma and difficult memories?
• Human Remains and Sacred Artefacts: How can museums care for and/or repatriate ancestral remains? How are museums and Indigenous peoples working with sacred artifacts?
• Community Engagement: How are museums working with Indigenous and (im)migrant or newcomer communities? How is diversity reflected both in the galleries and behind the scenes? What stories are being told, by whom?
• Reconciliation: What does reconciliation look like in practice? How can museums contribute to reconciliation?

The Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM)

CAM is an international non-governmental organization established in 1974 as a network of postcolonial museums throughout the Commonwealth and beyond that reflects on colonial legacies and develops new international relationships and working practices. CAM administers a distance learning programme; develops international internships and exchanges; organises international conferences and workshops; implements demonstration projects on shared issues such as Indigenous rights, reconciliation, migration, climate change, and gender equality; and empowers museum workers to use their resources – their collections, exhibitions, programmes, and expertise – for the benefit of their communities. As an Accredited Commonwealth Organisation, CAM promotes the value of museums in society and participates in Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings and the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers. CAM is also an International Council of Museums Affiliated Organisation.

Why Cape Town?

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa, the legislative capital and epicentre of both the Apartheid and anti-Apartheid movements. It is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, a destination for immigrants. Named the best place in the world to visit in 2014, in addition to our hosts, the Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town has many museums, historic sites and galleries.

Little is known of the area’s first residents who date from 15,000-12,000 years ago. However, from the late 16th century, Portuguese, French, Danish, Dutch and English ships regularly stopped in Table Bay en route to the Indies. Developed initially by the Dutch East India Company in the 17^th century as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East, the city has a long colonial history; it was the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town was ceded to Britain in 1814.

CAM and our partners are currently working on two projects in Africa: Human Remains Management in Southern Africa, a collaboration between CAM, the Iziko Museums of South Africa, the Museums Association of Namibia and the University of Botswana, National Museum of Botswana, and ICOM National Committees in the region; and Art Focus on Human and Women's Rights in Nigeria with ICMEMO and partners. CAM is planning workshops and symposia in Rwanda (2020), Kenya (2021) and Egypt (2022).

Funding

Funding assistance may be available for CAM members from Commonwealth developing countries. Please request a bursary application form if funding is required and submit by November 15, 2019. Selection will be determined by the CAM Program Committee based upon geographical and gender representation, museum experience, and available matching funds. For all inquiries, please contact Rachel Erickson and Wendy Molnar at camtriennial@gmail.com