The area covered by modern-day Tanzania is one of the earth’s oldest inhabited regions. Its geographical location on the Indian Ocean meant that the societies there were involved early on in interregional trade networks. Under German colonial rule, from 1884 to 1919, Tanzania was known as “German East Africa” and thereafter, until independence in 1961, it was ruled by the British under the name of “Tanganyika”. The consequences of colonial oppression, exploitation, and violence can still be felt today. During this period, thousands of cultural belongings were brought to Germany. In Berlin’s Ethnologisches Museum alone there are more than 10,000 “objects” from the territory of modern-day Tanzania. The exhibition The exhibition Histories of Tanzania tells the stories of the societies and people who inhabited the territory of present-day Tanzania, presenting an array of multifaceted accounts that reach far back into the past.
 
It also focuses on the cultural belongings on display in the exhibition and not only examines their origin and significance but also asks questions about the histories and contexts relating to these objects that have not been documented in the museum archive. The period of colonial oppression and exploitation is explored in particular detail, with critical scrutiny applied to colonial narratives and racist attributions.
The exhibition was developed collaboratively: curators from Dar es Salaam, Songea, and Berlin as well as representatives of communities in Tanzania have been given the opportunity to present their perspectives in texts and filmed interviews. Works by East African artists offer a critical examination of the colonial gaze.
 
In the exhibition design these contributions are presented alongside Tanzanian cultural belongings within structures made of teak and bamboo that protect the “objects” and provide an aesthetic setting that appeals to the senses.  Artistic positions in the exhibition Works by East African artists critically examine the colonial gaze. In Context Not Available, Charity Atukunda, Liz Kobusinge, and Gloria Kiconco explore the lasting impact of colonial photography from East Africa. Artist Amani Abeid tells the stories of four instances of cultural belongings in four comic-strip accounts. Teams led by film-makers Nicholas Calvin Mwakatobe and Tara followed the process of developing the exhibition, which features numerous photographs of the places the cultural belongings originated from and interviews with representatives from Tanzania. An integral component of the exhibition is the international schools project City Research. Two groups of school students – one in Berlin, one in Dar es Salaam – set out to explore their respective cities to examine the traces of colonialism still discernible today. The exhibition showcases the short films that they produced, which focused on buildings, street names, and public squares. 
 
The exhibition is a collaboration between the National Museum of Tanzania, the Ethnologisches Museum, and the Zentralarchiv (Central Archive) of the Staatliche Museen Berlin – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

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