Invisibility or Shadow?: Looking at the Representation of African Legacy in Dominican Museums

The representation of African legacy in museums has been a subject that has been neglected in the Dominican Republic. While Dominican museums have exemplary exhibitions about indigenous and European presence in the country, this is not often the case for African presence. This is mainly due to the historical circumstances that have led to the discrimination of the Afro- Dominican population. The political environment in the country has influenced the direction of archaeological and academic research. This has had as a consequence that research about African material culture in the country has been left behind. Another problem has been the nature of African material culture: objects that would have survived the transatlantic journey were often left behind when facing a life of slavery. In the case of marroon material culture, the precarity of life and the hidden nature of manieles has made it hard to identify marroon sites as well as which artefacts were used by African marroons....Show moreThe representation of African legacy in museums has been a subject that has been neglected in the Dominican Republic. While Dominican museums have exemplary exhibitions about indigenous and European presence in the country, this is not often the case for African presence. This is mainly due to the historical circumstances that have led to the discrimination of the Afro- Dominican population. The political environment in the country has influenced the direction of archaeological and academic research. This has had as a consequence that research about African material culture in the country has been left behind. Another problem has been the nature of African material culture: objects that would have survived the transatlantic journey were often left behind when facing a life of slavery. In the case of marroon material culture, the precarity of life and the hidden nature of manieles has made it hard to identify marroon sites as well as which artefacts were used by African marroons. Nevertheless, material culture is not the only way to represent African legacy in museums. Working through the lens of critical museology and politics of display, the academic, institutional and political tendencies that have influenced the representation of African heritage in Dominican museums are analysed. This will be done by looking at the history, context and displays of 17 different Dominican museums. These museums are analysed with the help of archival research and interviews with local academics, historians and people working in the museums. The aim is to understand how we can use multi-vocality to better increase the visibility of African legacy in the country. To complement the museum analysis, a survey to the Dominican public in the shape of an online questionnaire, helps gain insight into the public’s perceptions of African legacy in Dominican museums. Two different Caribbean museums are used as examples of decolonial practices in the Caribbean. Using common trends for the decolonisation of museums as a basis, a proposal curated for each museum is made. These proposals are based on the collaboration with local communities, recontextualisation of the displays, reorganisation or reframing of the collections, and inclusion of contemporary art.Show less

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Invisibility or Shadow? Looking at the Representation of African Legacy in Dominican Museums