Namibian Narratives

Through the Museum’s ‘Reimagining’ project, we have made a commitment to foregrounding the communities and individuals who made, used and cared for our collections. This project brings that connection between communities and objects into the present day.

In 2023, working with Ovambo women in Northern Namibia, we built the Powell-Cotton Museum’s first new collection in over 50 years. Through a process of co-creation with academics and craftswomen in Namibia, a new permanent display now showcases contemporary culture and experiences from the African continent for the first time in decades.

In 1936-37 Diana and Antoinette Powell-Cotton collected approximately 4500 objects from northern Namibia and southern Angola, building one of the largest collections from the region by European collectors. Some of the highlights of the collection are clothes and accessories made for special occasions, particularly those worn by women for marriage and initiation ceremonies. The new collection was commissioned from six women in northern Namibia who continue to make these outfits, evolving these traditional garments for their communities and customers.

Commissioning new work in Namibia

In April 2022 some of the project team – Dr. Napandulwe Shiweda (University of Namibia, Windhoek), Dr. Nicola Stylianou (University of Sussex) and Erasmus Stephanus (filmmaker and photographer based in Ongwediva, Namibia) spent a week travelling in the Oshana region of northern Namibia, on the border with Angola. They met with each of the specialist makers, discussed the Museum’s historic collection and asked each of the women how they would like to see their community and work represented in the Powell-Cotton Museum. Each of the women was interviewed on film, and these films form part of the display of their work.

In addition to collecting these more traditional cultural objects, the team were lucky enough to meet with Maria Caley, Lecturer in Visual Arts at the University of Namibia (Windhoek). Maria’s students undertook a project to create textile designs based on objects from the Museum’s Angolan and Namibian collections, and we were fortunate to be able to purchase some of these stunning designs for the collection. Works were purchased from Erikka Kapiye, Laimmy N. Moses and Shiyelekeni Silas.

The two sets of objects collected showcase very different responses to our historic collection and provide a rich story. The collections are displayed side by side in the Museum.

Contemporary Culture on Display

In June 2022 we welcomed Dr. Shiweda and Dr. Stylianou to the Museum. Working with the wider museum team, the project team planned the new displays and interpretive text ready for installation.

In addition to the contemporary objects, the new display features film footage of the commissioned craftswomen speaking about their work. You can find the display in Gallery 4.