Collection History in Reverse. Art and Culture from Cameroon in German Museums (renewal proposal)

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Bénédicte Savoy
• Subject Area: Art History
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 454238233

Over 40,000 objects from Cameroon are currently held in public museums in the Federal Republic of Germany. This is a central result of the first project phase of the cooperation between the Université de Dschang in Cameroon and the Technische Universität Berlin in Germany, which was granted in December 2020 and is dedicated to the presence of Cameroonian cultural heritage in Germany and its absence in Cameroon, and to which the present renewal proposal refers. The objectives of the first funding phase have been achieved with the publication "Atlas der Abwesenheit. Kameruns Kulturerbe in Deutschland". In addition to a detailed introduction to the project, the atlas contains a total of 16 chapters, which include scientific studies, evaluations and essays and document the research achievements of the first project phase. In addition, the atlas includes around 50 maps and graphics that provide a visual representation of the geographical and statistical distribution of Cameroon's material cultural heritage on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. The achievement of the project aims took place parallel to the challenges of the successful structural establishment of a Cameroonian-German cooperation and the associated negotiation processes between two different academic cultures. This required an extraordinary effort. Given this background, one of the goals of this renewal proposal is to now profit sustainably from this investment and to expand the now established cooperation. The experiences from the project cooperation up to now are reflected in the design of the work programme for the renewal proposal. Realising the immense dimensions of the material cultural heritage from Cameroon that is present in German ethnological museums, and at the same time the great unawareness of it, both in Cameroon and in Germany, make the dissemination of the research results produced so far, especially in Cameroon, the essential concern of the renewal proposal. In doing so, a transition is made from a culture of "written results" to a culture of "orally transmitted results". In addition to a French-English translation of the atlas and supplementary scientific studies based on the research already carried out, a communication programme with video clips, podcasts and a travelling exhibition as well as lecture and discussion formats will be implemented in Cameroon.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Cameroon
• International Co-Applicant: Professor Dr. Albert Gouaffo