On 6 October Amsterdam’s Tropenmuseum will open the exhibitions Fashion Cities Africa, showcasing Africa’s multifaceted fashion scenes andAfterlives of Slavery with a space devoted to dialogue in the run-up to a new permanent display in 2021 about the contemporary legacy of slavery and colonialism.
‘For our exhibitions, we constantly seek partnerships outside the museum, like Black Achievement Month,’ explains director Stijn Schoonderwoerd of the National Museum of World Cultures, of which the Tropenmuseum forms part. ‘By seeking to involve society at large, we increase our relevance and they share in our mission: contributing towards an open view of the world.’
6 October through January 2019
Fashion Cities Africa plunges the visitor into the dazzling and multifaceted world of contemporary fashion in four major African cities: Casablanca in Morocco, Johannesburg in South Africa, Nairobi in Kenya and Nigeria’s Lagos. Numerous fashion designers, bloggers and stylists from these cities have won a global following on social media, inspiring fashionistas worldwide with their designs, photographs and videos.
On show is the work of trendsetting fashion designers such as Said Mahrouf (Casablanca), Marianne Fassler (Johannesburg) and Maki Oh from Lagos, who lists former First Lady Michelle Obama among her clients. Fashion bloggers and journalists such as Sunny Dolat (Nairobi) and Joseph Oeuchen from Casablanca have created personal presentations to showcase their vision on fashion in Africa.
Semi-permanent display from 6 October
In Afterlives of Slavery visitors are confronted with today’s legacies of slavery and colonialism in the Netherlands. Slavery and the personal accounts of the enslaved form part of a common history shared by black and white – a past that continues to shape and influence Dutch society today.
The exhibition places the enslaved and their descendants centre stage. To initiate a sometimes difficult but productive dialogue, the Tropenmuseum has sought out personal stories from past and present that bring the history of slavery and its current-day legacies up close. The pieces on display from the Tropenmuseum’s collection – tangible relics of the history of slavery – serve to intensify the experience. Afterlives of Slavery presages the permanent display on the contemporary legacies of slavery and colonialism (2021).
Note to editorial staff
For more information, please contact Natalie Bos or Mick Groeneveld, PR Tropenmuseum. E pers@tropenmuseum.nl / T 088 0042839.
Click on the specific exhibition press releases voor images.