Museum professionals are invited to apply to the training ‘Who’s afraid of decolonisation?’, organised by NEMO and hosted by the UK Museums Association, SS Great Britain, and Bristol Museums. The training takes place on 16 September 2022 in Bristol, the United Kingdom.
This one-day International Training Course will explore what decolonisation in museums means and will introduce you to some of the theories and practices which inform this work. It will be based in the city of Bristol in the UK, a place recently at the epicentre of the conversation between heritage, representation and the Black Lives Matter movement, providing a relevant backdrop to the issues that will be discussed.
Starting with an overview of decolonisation, the morning workshop will introduce you to the ways in which this work can be approached in a straightforward manner, while also not shying away from the inevitable controversies that it will bring. With evidence of good practice and thinking in this rich field the MA hopes to inspire you either to begin or continue your decolonisation work with confidence. The afternoon will include a behind-the-scenes tour of the M-Shed, where the statue of slaver Edward Colston which was thrown into the harbour during the BLM protests in 2020 is kept. Apply for an exciting day which will take as its premise that decolonisation is not a punitive exercise, but one that if approached wholeheartedly, will enhance your sense of a shared humanity and your museum’s relevance to a wider group of people.
People connected to NEMO member organisations are given priority and up to 8 members will receive travel grants of 500-600 euro. Other people working within the museum sector are eligible to participate in the training to a fee of 250 euro.
