Wereldmuseum Berg en Dal

The Wereldmuseum Berg en Dal, previously known as the Afrika Museum, was a museum in Berg en Dal, a village close to the city of Nijmegen. The museum was founded in 1954 by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Since 2014, the museum was part of the Dutch National Museum of World Cultures until it closed it's doors in 2023.

Description

The Wereldmuseum Berg en Dal, hereafter Afrika Museum, was founded in 1954 by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (also abbreviated as CSSp) in the villa Ooster Meerwijk. Soon there was a lack of space to exhibit the objects brought by missionaries from African countries, so the museum was expanded in 1957 the exhibition space with the building that served until the closure of the Afrika Museum in 2023. Although the collection initially consisted of objects donated by missionaries, in the second half of the twentieth century it expanded to include donations from laypeople living in Africa, African embassies and eventually purchases.

As early as 1956, the museum was operated by the Stichting Afrika Museum and, in addition to the collection, received an annual donation from the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Because of this independent position, the focus during the 1960s and 1970s came to be more on the scientific approach towards African cultural objects, and cooperation arose with the, then still, Roman Catholic Radboud University in Nijmegen. In 1974, the congregation decided to discontinue its donation to the museum, after which the Afrika Museum became entirely dependent on government funding. The museum grounds were subsequently made available by the congregation and the building was rented for a small price to the Stichting Afrika Museum and the collection was loaned to the association.

The Afrika Museum is known for the replicas of several African homes that were built on the museum grounds, openly accessible for the public. This outdoor museum and, first, also animal park, was founded in 1958 and expanded in 1987. In 2014, as part of the then centralization policy, the Afrika Museum was merged with Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden, the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam and later the Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam, these museums have continued under the name Wereldmuseum since 2023.

In 2021, a dispute arose between the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (National Museum of World Cultures) and the Congregation of the Holy Spirit over the future strategy of the museum. The positions of the museum, which rents the building and has part of the collection on loan from the congregation, were so far apart that it was decided to close the museum at the end of 2023. In 2024, the judge ruled that the collection of the former Africa Museum is the property of the fathers of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, but what this ruling exactly means for the future accessibility of the collection is still unclear.

Provenance research

The Africa Museum collection consists of a large number of African art and artefacts, some of which were brought back by missionaries, but some of which were also purchased. The Africa Museum collection can be recognised within the Wereldmuseum collection by the ‘AM’ designation.

The archives of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit are available through the Erfgoedcentrum Nederlands Kloosterleven in St. Agatha. Under 'Overige deelarchieven' the archives of the Stichting Afrika Museum can be found. Documents relating to the Afrika Museum can also be found in the congregation's other archives. Prior permission from the provincial government is required to view records. This permission can be requested through the Erfgoedcentrum Nederlands Kloosterleven by sending an e-mail to studiezaal@erfgoedkloosterleven.nl.

For specific information on objects, the Wereldmuseum can also be contacted at collectieinfo@wereldmuseum.nl. The museum database contains the original inventory cards and handwritten object registers.

Resources

• AR-P009 Archiefinventaris Congregatie van de H. Geest - 3.1 Stichting Afrika Museum
  Archives of the Stichting Afrika Museum within the archives of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. It contains a wide range of documentation related to the Afrika Museum, from catalogs to (rental) agreements. — https://proxy.archieven.nl/1212/06C31EFBB73F49409D979D5EF05DF9D4
• Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk, Ineke Eisenburger, and Annemieke Van Damme. Vormen van Verwondering : De Geschiedenis En de Collecties van Het Afrika Museum, Berg En Dal. Berg en Dal: Afrika Museum, 2002.
  This book from 2002, consisting of two volumes, describes the genesis of the Afrika Museum and provides an overview of the collections the museum held at the time. — https://search.worldcat.org/title/66932031