Abstract :
[en] "In the second webinar, we moved from Italy to Spain and Kenya, in order to discuss the concept of insurgent museologies through practical examples, that are context-based and plural. The Babel Tower hosted Óscar Navajas Corral, PhD in History and Museology, Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of Alcalá. He offered a brief tour of Spanish geography, where it is possible to find enriching initiatives that have contributed to communal and democratic practices in the appropriation of heritage, both through ecomuseums and museums. Navajas Corral recalled various pioneering experiences in community participation that have produced a raise of awareness, social cohesion, community education, identity building, as well as social, cultural and economic development. He talked about the cultural park of Maestrazgo in Aragón, the ecomuseum of Rio Gaisena in Andalusia, the ecomuseum of Valls d’Àneu, and other emerging ones, such as La Ponte Ecomuseu in the north, the Centro Social Rey Heredia in the south, in the urban center of Madrid, being the latter a neighborhood museum. All these experiences can be positioned as initiatives of social museology, based on a strong militant and democratic character.
The same day, Édouard Nzoyihera – doctoral student in museology at the University of Cork – presented his analysis of the current situation of the system of museums in East Africa on decolonization from western culture on such system. He focused on political and social function of community museums in Kenya, that is in the process of restructuring and reappropriating colonial heritage. Community museums participate in the process of decolonization. However, there are still some critical aspects to consider, such as the risk of propaganda, as it has emerged during the debate. Nzoyihera concluded pointing out that, despite some limitations, community museums play a key social and political function in the search for unity and pacification." Giusy Pappalardo
