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Decolonising the AfricaMuseum

Nestled in the leafy suburb of Tervuren just outside Brussels, the AfricaMuseum has long stood as a monumental symbol of Belgium’s colonial past. Founded in 1898, the museum once served as a powerful propaganda tool in the service of King Leopold II’s imperial ambitions in the Congo and Central Africa. Today, however, the institution finds itself at the centre of a very different mission: decolonisation.

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In this podcast, Bart Ouvry, Managing Director of the AfricaMuseum, speaks candidly about the challenges of leading this transformation. Appointed to the role after the museum’s extensive five-year renovation, which began in 2013 and culminated in a grand reopening in late 2018, Ouvry is tasked not only with overseeing operations but also with steering a profound philosophical shift.

The renovation sought to modernise the building and rethink its entire narrative approach. Yet despite these efforts, the museum continues to draw mixed reactions—praised by some for its attempts at transparency, criticised by others for not going far enough. As Ouvry notes, the task of decolonising a museum built on colonial foundations is inevitably fraught, layered with differing perspectives and painful histories that still resonate today.

In this episode of The Low Countries Radio, Ouvry reflects on the importance of engaging with history honestly, acknowledging harm, and fostering inclusive dialogue. His leadership marks a new chapter for an old institution—one that recognises that telling the full story of colonialism is not a finished project, but an ongoing, and often uncomfortable, conversation.

• AfricaMuseum
• Colonisation
• decolonisation
• Tervuren