Exhibition in the University Main Library
Deal with it – African heritage in Basel
Perspectives on the handling of African cultural assets in Basel collection and research institutions.
Why is Basel, of all places, home to such a large number of institutions related to the African continent? This development builds on a longer tradition in the region of academic engagement with Africa. With the university’s clear commitment to research about, in, with and for Africa, Basel has developed into an international centre for interdisciplinary African research.
The exhibition presents the individual and collective history and present of five Basel institutions from the perspectives of students: the Basler Afrika Bibliographien, Mission 21, the Museum der Kulturen Basel, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and the University of Basel. The institutions as well as visitors to the exhibition are invited to discuss their points of view. Deal with it! A space for discourse is created.
- Organised by the Basler Afrika Bibliographien
- Project management: Alice Spinnler and Reto Ulrich
- Exhibition curation/communication: Elisa da Costa and Benedikt Wyss
- Research/texts: students Clara Graber, Gian Gaggiotti, Mario Kull, Ivana Tipura and Viviane Sprecher
- Scenography: Bravo Ricky GmbH
- Graphics: Sylvan Lanz
"Deal with it" says thank you!
The exhibition has been made possible by the kind support of
Media reports
- BaZ: Basel und seine koloniale Vergangenheit: Historiker und Politiker engagieren sich für Aufarbeitung (PDF, 1.09 MB)
- bz Basel: Studierende untersuchen in einer Ausstellung die kolonialen Vergangenheiten Basler Institutionen (PDF, 434.48 KB)
- SRF Kultur: Was Basel mit Afrika verbindet (ab 00:14:49)
- Bajour: Wir verherrlichen unsere Geschichte
- Programmzeitung: Diskurs über Dekolonialisierung und Rassismus anregen (PDF, 191.36 KB)
- Radio X: Kulturtipp
- Uni-News: «Es braucht die Einbindung der afrikanischen Stimmen und Sichtweisen.»
Basel Africa Network
The Basel Africa network is not limited to the collection and research institutions portrayed in the exhibition. Today, various companies, collectives, organisations and individuals are advancing the education and overcoming of the city’s colonial history. They bring topics such as African research, anti-racism, the African diaspora, decolonisation, development cooperation, restitution and reparation, knowledge transfer, art and culture and many other aspects to the public and thereby promote better coexistence in our society.
Accompanying program and guided tours
Public guided tours
Friday 1 September 2023, 13:30 - 14:00
Saturday 9 September 2023, 11:00 – 12:00
Meeting point: Exhibition room entrance
Private guided tours
Group tours with the curators can be organised on request. Please contact the project leader Reto Ulrich by email ru@baslerafrika.ch.