Manchester Museum Seeks Help on African Artifacts

Manchester Museum has launched a new initiative to address historical gaps in its collection of African artifacts. The project, known as the Africa Hub, is designed to confront the 'archival silences' often found in museum records from the colonial era. The museum is actively inviting people from around the world to contribute their knowledge and insights.

The core of this initiative is the museum's vast holding of more than 40,000 items from across Africa. These objects have a complex history, having been traded, collected, looted, or preserved during the time of the British empire. By asking for public assistance, the museum hopes to fill in the missing details and stories that official records may have overlooked.

The new Africa Hub at Manchester Museum represents a significant shift in how institutions approach their collections. It is described as a space where 'unanswered questions and archival silences' are placed at the forefront. Rather than presenting a finished narrative, the museum is acknowledging what it does not know and seeking help to correct that.

This approach is a direct response to the complex history of the collection. The items were acquired during the era of the British empire, a period that often involved unequal power dynamics. The museum is located in Manchester, in north-west England, a city with deep historical ties to global trade and empire.

The museum is not limiting its search for information to academic or expert circles. The invitation extends to people around the world, recognizing that valuable knowledge often resides outside of traditional institutions. This global reach is essential for an 40,000-item collection that spans the entire African continent.

By opening its doors to public insight, the museum hopes to:

• Uncover the original contexts and uses of the objects
• Identify specific cultural or regional origins
• Reconnect items with their communities of origin

This collaborative model aims to democratize the process of historical discovery.

The sheer scale of the Manchester Museum collection necessitates this kind of public engagement. With over 40,000 items, documenting the full history of each piece is a monumental task. The collection's diverse origins—ranging from traded goods to preserved historical objects—mean that a single, uniform history does not exist for the artifacts.

Each item carries its own story, yet many of those stories have been lost or fragmented over time. The museum's current effort is to piece together these fragments. The goal is to move beyond simple labels and provide a richer, more nuanced understanding of the cultural heritage contained within the Africa Hub.

Manchester Museum's initiative marks a pivotal moment in the museum world. By prioritizing transparency about its own limitations, the institution is setting a new standard for handling collections with colonial legacies. The success of the Africa Hub will depend on the willingness of the public to share their stories and expertise.

Ultimately, this project is about more than just filling in forms; it is about restoring context and agency to historical objects. It represents a commitment to a more inclusive and accurate telling of history, one that is co-created with the communities connected to these artifacts.