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The Compass: The Reclaimers : The reclaimers: Bronzes and Birmingham

Factual

The reclaimers: Bronzes and Birmingham

13/07/2022 GMT

The Reclaimers

BBC World Service - The Compass, The Reclaimers, The reclaimers: Bronzes and Birmingham

The uncomfortable stories behind some of the objects exhibited in UK museums

The uncomfortable stories behind some of the objects exhibited in UK museums.

Actor and musician Kema Sikazwe is on a mission to uncover his own personal history as he leaves the UK to return to his homeland of Zambia for the first time since he was three years old.

As Kema travels, he learns how museums are telling the uncomfortable stories behind some of the objects in their collection. He joins pupils from his old primary school learning why The Great North Museum in Newcastle is offering to return an ancient musical instrument to Nigeria.
Arriving in Birmingham, Sara Wajid, co-director of Birmingham Museums explains how 'decolonising museums' goes way beyond returning objects. He also meets legendary photographer Vanley Burke, putting together a new exhibition with curator Candice Nembhard at the former home of a famous industrialist in Handsworth.

Meeting the young members of We Are Birmingham, Kema hears how they have been challenged to transform the iconic round room at Birmingham’s Museum and Art Gallery, and seeks their advice on how best to approach his own forthcoming journey.

Presenter:  Kema Sikazwe
Producer: Andy Jones and Will Sander
A Radio Film production for BBC World Service

(Photo: Kema holds up a coin in the Future Coin museum)

The Compass: The Reclaimers 

The Reclaimers 

How Western museums tell the stories of others.

As Western museums grapple with their colonial legacies and encounter ongoing pressure to repatriate artefacts, they face a fundamental question: how do they tell the uncomfortable stories behind the items in their collections?

After being invited to take part in events that coincide with the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Kema Sikazwe returns to Zambia for the first time since he was three years old, and asks: who has the right to tell these stories?

As the former ‘British Empire Games’ draws nearer, Kema finds out what the world of museums can learn from the communities, artists and curators who are struggling to reclaim global stories about their culture and identity.

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