Decolonizing Museums: The Indonesian Experience
Schedule
Fri Sep 26 2025 at 02:00 pm to 03:30 pm
Location
6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada, British Columbia V6T 1Z2 | Vancouver, BC
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Gather at MOA for a free talk by Dr. Hilmar Farid on decolonizing museums.Dr. Farid will discuss the repatriation of colonial collections from the Netherlands to Indonesia as a form of transitional justice and an attempt to make amends. Repatriation is not simply a matter of returning confiscated objects, but also a way of confronting the legacies of violence, inequalities, and epistemological injustices inherent in colonial collecting practices. By tracing recent negotiations and repatriations, Dr. Farid will show how restitution opens up a space to rewrite the nation’s history and restore voices that have been silenced.
Repatriation also reshapes collective memory: it challenges official narratives of “civilized” colonialism, restores the dignity of once dispossessed communities, and reintegrates cultural objects into the social life of postcolonial nations. Repatriation thus becomes part of a broader struggle to redefine national identity, not as a continuation of colonial hierarchies, but as a project rooted in historical justice. The Indonesia-Dutch case demonstrates how restitution can function as both an ethical practice and a political tool, providing lessons for global debates on decolonization, memory, and the future of museums.
Doors open at 1:30 pm.
Presented by the Centre for Southeast Asia Research and the Museum of Anthropology at UBC.
Bio
Dr. Hilmar Farid is Professor at the Jakarta Institute of Arts and was the Director-General of Culture of the Indonesian Government (2015-24), supervising the operations of the museums, archeological sites, and historical monuments in the country. He was responsible for the repatriation of stolen artefacts from museums in the Netherlands. He runs a popular podcast on YouTube with the title JalinTalks, interviewing film stars, artists, musicians, and intellectuals.
MOA's Community Lounge • Free (museum admission not included)
LEARN MORE: https://moa.ubc.ca/event/decolonizing-museums-the-indonesian-experience/
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Where is it happening?
6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada, British Columbia V6T 1Z2Event Location & Nearby Stays: