On our way to the Tropenmuseum, as we were walking along Mauritskade, we noticed a street fair was being held on our left ... we then deviated and walked around it for a while, though there was nothing special to catch our attention.
Originally conceived to celebrate Dutch Colonialism, the Tropenmuseum displays different cultures apart from illustrating the role played by the Dutch in the world of colonialism. I started my visit by exploring the second floor, which had three permanent exhibitions - West Asia and North Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa. I soon realised that I would need a lot more than just a couple of hours ... the objects were presented within a context, which could be a reproduction of a village in North Africa or a retro-Café in Egypt ... I was absolutely astounded by the valuable artifacts and the whole atmosphere ...
I took a few photographs, though I knew it would be virtually impossible to convey the real atmosphere ... this was a "living" Museum ... a Museum full of stories ...
A woman holding her breasts in what could probably be a fertility ritual she took part in. (Volcanic stone - Atlantic plain - Costa Rica - AD 300-1550).
A Shaman with a rattle in his right hand, while his left hand is brought to his mouth. He is probably singing to invoke the Gods or ancestors. (Earthenware. Nayarit - 300 BC-AD 300 - West Mexico).
A laughing face. This figure probably represents a child sacrificed to the rain God - Tlaloc. (Earthenware - Classic Veracruz - AD 300-1200 - Gulf Coast, Mexico).
Sketches depicting the history of the slave trade and the sugar plantations in Surinam
Studio portrait of Egyptian women. Hippolyte Arnous phto Studio.c. 1875
The Battle of Adawa (On the 1st of March 1896 a primitively equipped Ethiopian army defeated an Italian army). Oil on canvas, Adis Ababa, Ethiopia. c. 1970.
African costumes and string puppets from Togo made of wood, cotton, paint and plant materials.
Basket hand woven from telephone wire, South Africa.
African Instruments' room with video clips of several African musicians being exhibited. The two-metre God Legba by the Benin artist Cyprien Tokoudagba with two giant horns and a gigantic phallus impersonates the good and the bad. He is a trickster God. Capricious, he enjoys playing games with human beings. Humour and sexuality are said to belong to his sphere of influence.
Carnival costumes from Brazil
Skulls, skeletons and other artififacts used in the Mexican festive occasion that celebrates the Feast of All Souls' Day on the second of November, the very joyful feast in which dead are remembered with excessive joy.
One of the seven life size wax figures in the Colonial Theatre with a story to tell
Ancestral figures, Korwars. The one on the right hand side being of wood, glass, beads, cotton, feathers and human bone. Teluk Cendrawasih, North Coast of Papua, Indonesia - 19th century.
The Battle of Karbala in which the struggle for the caliphate, the leadership of Islam was decided in favour of the Sunni. On the painting the two huge horsemen refer to this turning point in the History of Islam. Narrative painting - oil on canvas, Iran, 19th century.
I left the Tropenmuseum with a feeling of having been on an exploring trip and experienced the strength and "beauty" of so many different cultures ... some I which I knew and others I knew very little of ... I know I'll be back one day to thoroughly explore the exhibition rooms I didn't have the time for.
(to be continued)
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