Knowledge Exchange

• Aim: to involve young international museum professionals in restitution questions and to build a network that brings together knowledge of communities of origin and institutions managing collections.
• Number of participants: 12
• Organisation: Pressing Matter, Wereldmuseum, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (as partner of the Colonial Collections Consortium)

Elaboration: The Winter School organised by Pressing Matter, focused on young professionals working in museums, cultural institutions or universities outside of Europe. Twelve participants from different continents were welcomed in the Wereldmuseum Leiden and other relevant locations in the Netherlands, where they gained access to the diverse collections of the Consortiumpartners. The programme consisted of an intensive schedule of lectures, research and discussions about restitution of colonial collections. At the end of the Winter School, the participants gave presentations about a case study of an object from a colonial context currently present in a collection in the Netherlands.  

• Aim: strengthening cultural heritage cooperation between the countries and the special municipalities that comprise the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• Number of participants: 8
• Organisation: DutchCulture, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (as partner of the Colonial Collections Consortium)

Elaboration: The central question of this visitor programme was: what is absent in the collections on the Caribbean islands and how can we find out if these objects are located in the Netherlands? Additionally, this visitor programme discussed and explored possibilities for loans and restitution. Participants of this programme were representatives of the different islands that are part of the Kingdom, including Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Sint Eustatius.  

Participants had the opportunity to gain profound knowledge of the management of colonial collections and the role of heritage institutions in the process of restitution. The programme included presentations, work visits and conversations with experts in the field of colonial heritage collections in the Netherlands and in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. In addition, there were discussions about the importance of digital access of and provenance research into these collections.  

 One participant reflected on the programme: “In only four days, we visited innumerable heritage institutions, each with their own load, history, stories and meaning. The conversations we had were not only enlighthening; they were transforming. A re-discovery of our shared history and how our knowledge can stregthen and inspire us.” Another participant emphasized the importance of cooperation: “Each visit was both educational & inspiring, deepening our understanding to show and communicate more in-depth our islands’ shared cultural heritage. The connections we’ve made are profound, and I am excited about the potential they hold for future collaborations in the region.”  

• Aim: deepening knowledge and encouraging the dialogue about colonial collections and restitution, focusing on a multilateral approach.
• Number of participants: 3
• Organisation: Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (as partner of the Colonial Collections Consortium), DutchCulture

Elaboration: Participants of this visitor programme were speaking at the symposium Restitution and Beyond (organised by DutchCulture) on Wednesday 5 February 2025. In the days before and after the symposium, speakers could visit the partners of the Colonial Collections Consortium. The programme was focused on both the practice of and academic thinking on restitution of colonial collections. The conversation not only addressed restitution between two countries but also focused on a multilateral approach.  

The participants look back positively on their visit. Prof. dr. Kokurne spoke of an “interesting and englighthening time”, and Shani Roper spoke of the programme as “insightful, engaging and I’m grateful for the amazing hospitality.” 

• Aim: gaining insight into the process of restitution of colonial collections, get to know each other and strenghthening relations between museums and heritage institutions managing collections in Suriname and the Netherlands.
• Number of participants: 5
• Organisation: Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (as partner of the Colonial Collections Consortium), DutchCulture

Elaboration: The National Museum Committee Suriname followed an in-depth programme that gave participants insight into the process of restitution of colonial collections and the management of these collections. The programme offered participants the opportunity to exchange knowledge and expertise on international collaboration, museum policy, collection management and digitalization, with a focus on Surinamese heritage and the role of Dutch museums and institutions in this. Participants had access to the collections of different museums and institutions, including the Wereldmuseums, Rijksmuseum, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and the Suriname Museum.  

• Aim: bringing together museum professionals working with objects and collections originating from colonial contexts to share experiences and exchange practical knowledge.
• Number of participants: approximately 80
• Organisation: Colonial Collections Consortium

Elaboration: Between 23-25 September 2025, approximately eighty participants gathered in the Netherlands for the European Working Conference on Collections from Colonial Contexts. This conference intended to foster ongoing dialogue, and to help build a sustainable network of professionals committed to transparent, responsible stewardship. A short summary, and an in-depth report of the conference is available here.

• Aim: exchanging and sharing knowledge on the conservation and restauration of objects made from wood and metal.
• Number of participants: 8 restorers of the Department of National Museums, the Department of Archaeology and the Central Cultural Fund
• Organisation: Rijksmuseum (as partner of the Colonial Collections Consortium), Dutch embassy in Colombo, Colombo National Museum

Elaboration: In a bid to foster collaboration between conservators from Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, a five-day Conservation Exchange Programme for Wood and Metal Artefacts was organized at the Colombo National Museum. The programme intended to encourage knowledge exchange between the two countries, an idea that was first put forward in the collaboration leading up to the restitution of six Kandyan artefacts from the Rijksmuseum collection in 2023. The programme focused on key themes, including material identification and deterioration, conservation science, advanced conservation techniques, knowledge sharing, capacity building and strenghthening international collaboration. The themes were explored through presentations, discussions, collaborative assessments of individual objects and collections as well as hands-on-practice. Participants spoke of the workshop as rejuvenating experience, that presented a significant collaboration through equal partnership and knowledge co-creation between Sri Lankan and Dutch parties. An elaborative article about this workshop was published here.  

• Aim: exchanging knowledge on digital access to collections from a colonial context.
• Number of participants: 11 experts from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria
• Organisation: National Commisson for Museums and Monuments Nigeria, the Dutch embassy in Nigeria and the Colonial Collections Consortium

Elaboration: This round table conversation took place in the context of the Dutch restitution of 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. During this conversation, 11 experts from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria discussed and exchanged their views on digital access to African heritage. Digital technologies have been embraced for their potential to broaden access to cultural heritage. This conversation dealt with questions regarding the potentialities of these technologies and how we can use them in ways that do not reproduce uneven power relations. Additionally, the participants discussed what knowledge is part of digital cultural heritage, and how different perspectives can be added to digital spaces. This conversation brought new perspectives and new connections that will be further explored and continued.