WorkingwithSouthSudanesemuseumcollections

WorkshopreportoftheAHRCnetwork‘NewExplorationsintoSouthSudanesemuseumcollectionsinEurope’PittRiversMuseum,Oxford10-11January2018

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AbouttheSouthSudanMuseumNetworkThenewstateofSouthSudanisbestknownforitsdeeplytroubledhistory,fromenslavementandcolonisationinthenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,totheprolongedcivilwarsthatledbothtoitsindependencein2011andtocontinuedpost-independenceconflicts.Thishistoryofviolenceandvictimhoodposesbothanalyticalandpracticalchallengestoscholarsand nation-builders alike: how can we better understand the interactions and strategiespursuedbypeopleeveninviolentcontexts?Howcanwestudyandcelebratethecreativity,resilienceandreciprocitiesthatalsorunthroughSouthSudanesehistory?Howcanwegainaricherpictureoftheregion'spast,onethatreachesbeyonddeterministicnarrativesofconflictandethnicdivision?

One resource for doing this lies unexploited in our midst. Europeanmuseums house anestimated20,000objects,originallyacquiredbyEuropean travellers, traders,missionariesandofficialsintheSouthernSudaneseregioninthenineteenthorearlytwentiethcentury.Theseitemsrangefromhouseholdobjects,jewellery,weaponryandmusicalinstrumentstolarge,visuallystrikingfigurativestatues.TheyarenowhousedinlocationsasdiverseasStPetersburg,RomeandKent.Manyofthecollectionshaverichsupportingdocumentation-including accounts of expeditions, diaries, photographs and correspondence concerningacquisitionsbymuseums.Yettheyhavenotyetbeenthesubjectofextensivecomparativeenquiry.

'Newexplorations intoSouthSudanesemuseumcollections inEurope' isanAHRC-fundedinternational research network investigating this huge but largely untapped resource foradvancingunderstandingsofSouthSudan'shistory,globalconnectionsandcreativearts.Notonlydothesecollectionsprovidenewsourcesontheregion'spast,theyalsoexposecomplexnarrativesof interaction, inboth itsviolentandmorepeacefulaspects.Exploringmaterialconnections and reciprocitieswillmake new intellectual advances in the history of SouthSudanpossibleandallowustorethinkthishistorywithpotentialforsignificantintellectualandsocialimpacts.

Thenetworkbringstogetheracademicsfromdifferentdisciplineswithmuseumpractitionersand heritage stakeholders to develop a research agenda on South Sudanese museumcollectionsacrossEurope.ItisthefirstofitskindtoconnectthesedispersedcollectionswithSouthSudanesecommunities,addressingnotonlythecollections'academicsignificance,butalso their potential contribution to developing more inclusive understandings of SouthSudanese identity. These objects can reveal histories of economic and cultural exchangewithintheregionthathasbecomeSouthSudan.Throughtheiracquisition,exportanddisplayinEurope,theyalsoembodytheoftenviolentandextractiveincorporationofthisregionintoimperialandtransnationaleconomies,andofferthepotentialfordeeperandmorenuancedunderstandings of how people in the Upper Nile region negotiated the new tradingopportunitiesaswellascoercivepredationthroughwhichtheseobjectswereacquired.

Through threeworkshopswith international participants, the networkwillmake tangiblestepstowardsamajorprogrammeofresearchonthecollections,involvinginstitutionsinbothEurope and South Sudan. It will serve as a unique international hub for museums withsignificantSouthSudanesecollections, facilitatingnewcomparativeperspectivesonasyet

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disconnected collections and histories. A key priority is to involve South Sudanese in thisresearch process, while providing an important opportunity for current curators andresearcherstoreflectonthepastandpresentdisplayofthesecollections,theirreceptionbyEuropeanaudiencesandthenarrativestheyproject.

AbouttheworkshopThiswasthesecondofthreeworkshopsexploringthepotentialvalueofSouthSudaneseartsandheritage inEuropeanmuseums.Thefirstworkshop,heldatDurhamUniversity inJuly2017,focusedonunderstandingthecontentandhistoryofthecollections.Thereportfromthisworkshopcanbe readonlinehttps://southsudanmuseumnetwork.com/workshop-1-2/Buildingonthesediscussions,thisworkshopconsidereddifferentwaysofworkingwiththecollections.ThePittRiversMuseumThePittRiversMuseumdisplaysarchaeologicalandethnographicobjectsfromallpartsoftheworldandalltimeperiods.TheMuseumwasfoundedin1882whenGeneralPittRivers,aninfluentialfigureinthedevelopmentofarchaeologyandevolutionaryanthropology,gavehiscollectiontotheUniversityofOxford.ThePittRiversMuseumholdsoneofmostimportantcollectionsofSouthSudanesevisualandmaterialcultureinEurope.

Participants

HelenAdams (PittRiversMuseum),Anyiethd'Awol (RootsProject),AdutAyik (CambridgeUniversity),NicholasBadcott(BritishMuseum),PaulBasu(SOAS),AnnieCoombes(Birkbeck),ZoeCormack(OxfordUniversity),JeremyCoote(PittRiversMuseum),KathrynEccles(OxfordUniversity), Francis Gotto (Sudan Archive, Durham University), Marko Frelih (SloveneEthnographicMuseum),UrškaFurlan(SloveneEthnographicMuseum),JohnGiblin(BritishMuseum), YotamGidron (DurhamUniversity),NadjaHaumberger (Weltmuseum,Vienna),AngelaImpey(SOAS),HeleneJoubert(QuaiBranly),LudmillaJordanova(DurhamUniversity),DouglasJohnson(RiftValleyInstitute),WendyJames(Oxford,Emerita),JokMadutJok(SuddInstitute),ZacharyKingdon(WorldMuseum,Liverpool),CherryLeonardi(DurhamUniversity),Inbal Livne (Powell-CottonMuseum),SarahLongair (LincolnUniversity), JohnMack (UEA),Crina Mares (Franz Binder Museum, Sibiu), Chris Morton (Pitt Rivers Museum), MawanMuortat(Independent),YoussefOnyalla(NationalArchivesofSouthSudan),JohnRyle(RiftValleyInstitute),ElkeSelter(SOAS),AnnaSiim(Kunstkamera,StPetersburg).ReportpreparedbyZoeCormackandCherryLeonardi.Cover image:Aworkshopparticipant looksattheSouthSudanphotographiccollections inthePittRiversMuseumresearchroom(photocredit:YotamGidron).

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Session1:BuildingonpastinitiativesTheworkshop began by examining past experiences of creating andworkingwithSouthSudanesemuseumcollections,bothwithinandoutsidethecountry.Howcanwehistoriciseourcurrentprojectsandbuildonpreviouswork?ItmightbeassumedthatheritageinitiativesinSouthSudanarestarting‘fromscratch’.WhileitistruethatgovernmentalneglectofthesouthernregionunderpreviousSudanese regimes and the devastation wrought by prolonged conflicts hasprecluded any effectivemuseumor heritage preservation programmes, therehavebeensomeinitiativessincethe1970swhichcanprovidevaluablelessonsandpointsofreflection.Webeganourworkshopbylearningaboutthreepastprojects:one focusedoncollectingobjects,anotherondigitisationofaSouthSudanesecollectionintheUnitedKingdom,andathirdonplanninganationalmuseuminSouthSudan.Whatdidtheseprojectstrytodo,whatdidtheyachieveandwhathasn’tworked?ArchaeologicalresearchandcollectinginSouthernSudan1978-1980JohnMack,ProfessorofWorldArtStudiesattheSainsburyResearchInstitute,UniversityofEastAngliaJohn Mack opened the workshop by recounting his first-hand experiences of anarchaeologicalandethnographicresearchprojectinSouthernSudan,supportedbytheBritishInstitute in Eastern Africa from 1979 to 1981. The aim of this project was to expandarchaeologicalworkinSouthernSudantoexploreandcollectcontemporarymaterialculture.Thiswastheperiodwhenethno-archaeologywasbeingpioneeredandarchaeologistswerelookingforethnographicparallelstoinformarchaeologicaldata.LedbyNicholasDavid,theteamconsistedofJohnMack,PattiLangton,PaulHarvey,JillGoudiandAlexOpira-Odongo.OnehopewasthattheresultingcollectionswouldformthebasisforamuseuminJuba,anideasupportedbytheministryofcultureandparticularlybySeverinoMatti.Therewere twomain research trips. The group that went in 1980worked in the south-westernpartofSouthernSudan,fromtheMoruareatoWau,WunrokandthenbacktoZandeareas.Archaeologywasthemainfocus:theethnographerswerecollectinglargelyceramics,but expanded to basketry and weaponry. Then, as now, there was no antiquity law inSouthernSudan;permissiontoexporttheobjectswasgrantedfromKhartoumandthenfromtheMinistryofCulture in Juba.Anagreementwasmadetodepositaduplicateofobjectsacquired in Juba; the otherswere taken tomuseums in theUnited Kingdom.Anunusualtransportationmethodwasdevised:atthetime,therewasalotofaidcomingintoJuba,andplanesweregoingbackempty,sosomeobjectsweresentbacktoEuropeonreturningaidflights.JohnMackledthesecondresearchtriptoprimarilyToposaareasaroundKapoetainEasternEquatoria and the Ilemi Triangle. Theworkwas funded partly by the Royal GeographicalSocietytocommemoratethediscoveryofthesourceoftheNile.Thisperiodofresearchwas

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morechallengingandhighlightsthedifficultiesofcollecting/conductingresearchwithruralcommunitiesduringtimesofstress.ItwasthetimeoftheKaramojongdrought,whichalsoaffectedtheToposa,togetherwithconflictinUgandaspillingovertheborder.Thiscreatedboth practical and ethical problems because people were suffering food shortages andinsecurity. To reduce pressures on the host communities, the team split up. Thearchaeologists went to Yei;Mackmoved to the ImatongMountains, and collected someobjectsinLotuhoareas.Apublicationarisingfromthisresearch,‘CultureHistoryinSouthernSudan’,whichcontainsmoredetailsoftheresearchfindings,canbedownloadedhttps://southsudanmuseumnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/mack-and-robertshaw-1982-culture-history-in-southern-sudan.pdfDetailsonPattiLangton’sresearchfromthisprojectisavailablehttp://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/reel2real/index.php/patti-langton.htmlAndinaseriesofblogpostshttp://pittrivers-photo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-larim-boya-of-south-sudan-part-1.html?view=mosaichttp://pittrivers-photo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-larim-boya-of-south-sudan-part-2.html?view=mosaichttp://pittrivers-photo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-larim-boya-of-south-sudan-part-3.html?view=timeslideRecoveringthematerialandvisualculturesofSouthernSudan:amuseologicalresourceChris Morton, Pitt Rivers Museum and Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology,UniversityofOxford‘RecoveringthematerialandvisualculturesofSouthernSudan:amuseologicalresource’wasaprojectrunbythePittRiversMuseum(PRM)between2003and2005.ThisprojectproducedanonlineplatformprovidingaccesstomostofthePRM’sSouthSudanesecollections(objectsandphotographs).This project was initiated amidst early discussion about the possibilities and challengescreatedbymuseumwebactivity.By2002,allmajormuseumshadanonlinepresence–buttheywerestillstrugglingtofindconnectionsbetweentheartefactsinthecollectionsandtheironlinepresence.TheUKArtsandHumanitiesResearchCouncil(thenBoard)providedfundingforaprojectontheSouthernSudanesematerials–aparticularlyrichsectionofthePRM’scollections, which is important not only for the museum but also for anthropologicalscholarship.Theideawastoallownewinterpretationsandthinkingaboutthesecollectionsandthevisualmaterialstoemerge.

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Photographswerescanned,andtheobjectimagesweredigitized.Detaileddescriptionsofobjectsandallcataloguedetailswereenteredontotheresource.Therewerelogisticalissuesof scanning so many images, and some challenges in creating the online platform. Thewebsite,overall,presentsavarietyofoptionsandsearches,andprovidessomebiographicalnotesonthephotographers.The online publication of the collections led to increased exposure and the number ofenquiriesaboutthemalsoincreased.NewmaterialhascomeintothemuseumbecauseofthegreaterawarenessofitsSouthSudanesecollections.However,newlyacquiredmaterialsarenotincludedinthisdatabase–forvariousreasons–andnotallthedataisuptodate.Someofthefunctionalitiesofthewebsiteswerealsolostbecauseoftechnicalissueswiththeweb-basedplatform.Mortonhighlightedthecentralchallengeofusingwebresourceswhich,like publications, represent a snapshot of knowledge and representation at a particularmoment–butunlikeprintedbooks,websitesareexpectedtobeup-to-date,andyettheircodingmayinhibitorpreventupdating.

ScreenshotofthePittRiversSouthernSudanonlineresource.23.01.2018TheSouthSudanNationalMuseum/ArchiveprojectElkeSelter,PhDcandidate,SOAS;formerlyUNESCOSouthSudanTheSouthSudanNationalMuseuminitiativeemergedafterSouthSudan’sindependencein2011,asUNESCOstartedtomovebeyondafocusoneducationtodevelopaculturalprogram.Theideaofaculturalinstitutionwasverymuchtiedtoanation-buildingagenda,andintendedtoencompasshistory,research,heritageandoutreach.ItwasenvisagedbyUNESCOasaninstitutionthatwouldtellthestoryofthepeopleofSouthSudan,byandforthepeopleofSouthSudan.Buthowdoyoumakesurethatpeoplefindthemselvesinthatstory?Howdoyoumakesurethatitisnotthestoryonlyoftheleaders?Practically,therewasalsoaquestionaboutmakingtheinstitutionrelevantandaccessibleforalargenumberofpeople,giventhetransport challenges and issues of language and literacy. Therewere also social barriers:

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peoplewerenotfamiliarwiththeconceptofamuseumanddon’tnecessarilyrelateto it.Therewerealsoalargenumberofrefugeesanddiaspora–sowhatisthe‘community’thatthemuseumcatersfor?UNESCOwrestledwithhowtoavoidcreatinga‘spaceship’thatwouldlandinJubaandnotresonatewiththepopulation.OneconclusionreachedwasthataNationalMuseumprojectshouldn’tallbeaboutabuildinginJuba.Therewassomedesireforasymbolicbuilding,butthisshouldnotbetheonlything.The building could be about preservation, but the link to the people should be primarilythrougheducation–workingwithschools,withcommunitiesacrossthecountry.Allofthisisverydifficulttopracticallyimplement.Therewasaninternationaldesigncompetitionforthemuseumbuildingitselfandaplanwaschosen.However,itwasneverconstructed,andtheprojectendedwithmoreopenquestionsthanpractical implementation.Theoutbreakof conflict in2013madeworkonanationalmuseumprojectandbuildingbothmoredifficultpracticallyandmorepoliticallycontentiousthanever.Therewassomepilotingtodevelopaprojectthatwouldcreatethecontentforthemuseum.Wewereawareofobjectsbeing inthecommunity–and inforeign institutions(butknewlittle indetail).Many issues – including restitution–were conceivedof as footnotes thatwouldbedealtwithlater.Oralhistorieswereanotherpillar.Therewasanideaofatravelingmuseumexhibition.Thehopewasthatthiswouldcreateacollectionforthemuseum,whilealso showing communities around the country what other communities had contributedalready. The ‘Travelling Exhibition’ was developed in collaboration with the Ministry ofCulture,UNESCOandtheOpenSocietyInstituteforEasternAfricaandraninthreestatesin2014.DiscussionpointsMack was asked more about the process of collecting objects from communities, andexplained that a ‘Smithsonian’ model was used: enquiring about different categories ofobjects,buildingupapictureofthematerialculture,andthentryingtoacquireexamplesmethodically.Hehighlightedsomeofthepotentialrisksandcomplexitiesofcreatingamarketforartefacts,andalsoemphasisedhowtheprojectsoughttoinvolvelocalpeopleinallaspectsof the process and to provide a degree of training in object handling and so on. This isobviouslycrucialtothesuccessandsustainabilityofanyprojectofthiskind.The discussion moved on to important questions about the politics of museum-relatedinitiativesinacontextlikeSouthSudan.Iftheexpertiseandmodelsarecomingfromoutside,isthereanywonderthesefail?Isthereadeeperproblemwiththeassumptionthatmuseumsandarchivesneedtoexist?Oneansweristhatthisisnotsimplyaforeignassumption:SouthSudanesegovernmentofficials,designersandothersboughtintotherecentideaofanationalmuseum,andsawitaspartoftheprocessofestablishingnewSouthSudanesestatehoodaswellasbuildingnationalidentity.ButSelteralsotalkedabouttheverydifferentperspectiveofSouthSudaneseschoolchildrenelicitedduringtheUNESCOproject,whohadnoideawhatamuseumevenwas. “Theydidn’t just thinkoutof thebox, theyhadnobox.”ButSelter

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arguedthatthispresentedanopportunityratherthananobstacle,encouraginginnovativeand imaginative ways to rework what ‘museum’ could mean in such a context. AnnieCoombesurgedafocusontheprocessbywhichtheideaofamuseumistransformedthroughdiscussionandaction.TheKenyapeacemuseumsareaninstructivecomparativeexample:initially ‘museum’mightbe justatermtogetresourcesbut itcanbecomesomethingelsethrough community use and engagement. Anyieth d’Awol similarly called for a flexibleapproach to the concept of museums, to accommodate both the disruptive history ofcolonialism and conflict in South Sudan, and the existing, fluid practices by which SouthSudanesehavekeptandprotectedsignificantobjects,memoriesandrelations.Amuseumbuildingmaystillbeofvaluetosomepeople,butweneedtobecreativeanduseallavailableavenuestoshare,preserveanddiscussmaterialculture.Thediscussionconcludedwiththehopefulideathatobjectscouldplayanimportantroleinbringingpeopleintodialogueandaddressingthetraumaticanddestructivehistoryofconflict.

The‘TravellingExhibition’inWau,2014.Photocredit:El-FatihMalukAtem

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Sessiontwo–MakingconnectionsthroughcollectionsOur next session reflected on current work being donewith South Sudanesecollections.Weheardabout twodifferentpiecesof research inprogress thatinvolveworkingwithSouthSudanesemuseumcollections.Theseexamplesshowdifferentwaysofworkingwithobjects.Mbitim‘anartistofexceptionalskill’InbalLivne(Powell-CottonMuseum)InbalLivne,HeadofCollectionsatthePowell-CottonMuseum,gaveapresentationaboutherresearchintoceramicsattributedtoaZandepottercalledMbitim.ThepotterMbitimgivesus a unique way of approaching the South Sudanese collections at the Powell-CottonMuseum.Heisarareexampleofanamedartistamongthecollections.HeproducedpotteryattheleprosyhospitalinLiRangu(WesternEquatoria),whichwasopenedbytheBritishin1931. The Powell-Cottons purchased seventeenpottery items in 1933 and recorded theirhour-longmeetingwithMbitiminadiaryentry.Buttherearemanyunansweredquestions.Whowasproducingthispottery?HowmanypeopleworkedwithMbitim?Whowasrunningtheworkshop?WhywasMbitimthere?Washesick?Wherewasheoriginally from?Whoboughthispotsandhowfardidhisinfluencespread?Once inside the Powell-Cotton museum, the objects were recorded in the catalogue asMbitim’s.Butthemuseumhasprobablyover-emphasisedhisindividualrole.ThenextstepsoftheresearcharetolookforotherobjectsattributedtoMbitimandseewhatconnectionscanbeestablished.Therearemanyquestionsstilltoanswer.Butthisonepotteryworkshopat Li Rangu is a really interesting study as a ‘contact zone’ between Europeans and localartists,throughwhichinfluencesmayhavespreadinmultipledirections.

PotterybookendsattributedtoMbitiminthePowell-CottonMuseum.Source:www.100objectskent.co.uk

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ResearchwiththeBongocommunityinJubaZoeCormack(OxfordUniversity)

ZoeCormackpresentedsomereflectionaboutworkwiththeBongocommunityinJuba.TheBongoareaminoritygroupinSouthSudan,but one of themost widely represented in museum collections.ThereareplentyofaccountsoftradeinBongomaterialcultureandsculpturesfromthe19thcentury,andthemarketintheseobjectsflourishedthroughoutthesecondcivilwar(1983-2005).Cormack’sresearchisfocusedontheirfuneraryart,notablystatues(picturedbelow).PartofthisresearchhasinvolvedmeetingwithBongopeopletotryto understand more about funerary practices. In September,CormackheldameetingwiththeMPofTonjSouth(representingthelargestBongoconstituency)andstudentsfromtheUniversityofJuba.Thegroupwasveryawareofthetrade infunerarystatutesduring theconflict.Cormackaskedabout thedifferentemotionalreactions that collections can produce – do the objects bring uppainfulhistories?Bongo oral history remembers the 19th century as a period ofdestructionandenslavement.Engagingwiththesememorieshastobepartoftheengagementwiththecollectionsandobjects.The group acknowledged that it was members of their own

community that tookpart in thetrade in theirownartefactsandsculptures.Peoplewerereluctant topass judgmentonthesestrategies thatpeopleresortedtoduringthetimeofconflict,however.Nextstepsfortheprojectwill involvemorephotoelicitation interviewswithimagesofobjects,todiscusswhatinformationcanbeestablishedabouttheirhistories.Image:BongofunerarystatueintheBritishMuseum(Af1973,35.1)

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Sessionthree:managingtheneedsofdifferentaudiencesIfwearetoresearchanddisplaySouthSudaneseheritageinglobalmuseums,whowillseetheseobjectsandwhatarethedifferentaudiences?ManyofourdiscussionshavebeenframedaroundhowcollectionscouldbeconnectedwithSouthSudaneseaudiences.But‘SouthSudanese’ isadiversecategory.Oneofthe most obvious distinctions to draw in the case of museum collections isbetween South Sudanese diaspora audiences and audiences at ‘home’. Thediasporamayhavegreater access tomuseumcollections –because they liveclosertothem.Theymayalsohaveadifferent–andcomplex–relationshipwithcultural artefacts from South Sudan. Other European audiences are alsoimportanttoconsider.ManyofthesecollectionshavebeeninEuropeforoverahundredyears.Inthattime,theyhavetakenondifferentlocalsignificance.Thetransport of objects from South Sudan to European museums also entailedtransformations in their value and meaning. In the Slovenian context, forexample,theKnoblechercollectionintheEthnographicMuseuminLjubljanahasa significantplace in the Sloveniannational imaginationnotonly in termsofKnoblecher or his mission, but in terms of the historic connection it forgedbetweenhishomeareaandwhatisnowSouthSudan.Thissessionaddressedthequestionofhowtoengagethemultiple(andpotential)audiencesforthesecollections.IgnazKnoblecherandtheSlovenianPublicMarkoFrelihandUrškaFurlan(SloveneEthnographicMuseum)IgnazKnoblecherwasborn in1819; in1849hetravelledtowhat isnowSouthSudanandstartedaChristianmissionstationatGondokoro(nearpresent-dayJuba).Twoyearslater,hefoundedtheHolyCrossMissionbetweenBorandShambe.Hewasnotonlyamissionarybutalsoanexplorerandcollectedobjectsandwrotearticlesonhisjourneys.Hisscientificdiarydisappearedafterhisdeathbuttheobjectshecollectedwerepreserved.HisworkattractedalotofattentioninSlovenia.MostobjectsinthecollectionitselfarefromBaricommunities.Inhisplaceofbirth,Scocjan,Knoblecheriscelebratedeveryyear.TherehavebeenseveralattemptsinSloveniatocelebrateKnoblecher’sworkandmakeitaccessibletothepublic.Thefirstexhibitionofhisobjectswasheldin1950.Therewasanotheronein1968,butreligiousevangelism was not a very popular topic during the socialist period. After Slovenianindependencein1991,interestbegantogrowinKnoblecherasasignificantnationalfigure.In 2008 there was another exhibition, and some objects from South Sudan are in thepermanentexhibition.In2009wasthebiggestevent–anexhibitionthatattractedalotofinterestfromthepublic.Nextyear(2019)isthe200thanniversaryofKnoblecher’sbirthandtherewillbeeventscelebratinghis life, includingaspecialexhibition inScocjan.The localcommunity are very aware of Knoblecher and his work, and would like to establish amulticulturalcentre,forSlovenianmissionariesandpeoplefromacrosstheworld.

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TheSouthSudanNationalArchivesandpublichistoryinJubaYoussefOnyalla(SouthSudanNationalArchives)YoussefOnyalladescribedongoingworktoestablishaNationalArchiveinSouthSudan,withareflectiononarecentpublichistoryinitiativetoengageresidentsofJubawiththearchivaldocuments.ThearchiveinSouthSudanwasinitiatedafterthe1972peaceagreement.Duringthe1983-2005war,thesedocumentswerejustmovedfromplacetoplace:somedocumentswereputinthebasementunderthegovernor’soffices;somewereinJubaGirlsSecondarySchool.AfterthesigningoftheCPAin2005,weputallofthemtemporarilyintoalargetent,withsomefundsfromtheUSgovernmentforthepreservationoftheSouthSudanesehistory,andwestartedaprojectofarchivingthedocuments.Laterthearchivewasmovedtoahouse.Westartedtoregisterthedocuments,toseehowmanyfileswehaveofanyprovince.TheRiftValleyInstitutetrainedtheSouthSudanesestaffonhowtodigitizethedocuments.Wecategorised thedocuments, and started to sort themout, and scanned them.Becauseoftermites, somedocumentsweredestroyed.Sometimes,waterentered theplace,and theboxesthatwereonthefloorweredamaged.Nowthereareshelves(broughtinbyUNESCO).Therewasarecentexhibition,TarikhTana(OurHistory),withdocumentsfromthearchive.ItwasintheNationalAssembly,andlaterinCustomMarket.Manypeopleattendedorpassedbyit.PeopleinJubaknowthatthereisanarchivenow–aplacetogettheinformation.TherewasanotherexhibitionbehindKonyo-Konyomarket.DiasporaaudiencesintheUKMawanMuortatMawangaveareflectionaboutthevalueofthesecollectionstoSouthSudaneseaudiencesintheUK.Heposedthequestion,‘whatisimportantabouttheseobjectsandwhyshouldSouthSudaneseinthediasporacareaboutthem?’Hisanswerwas,tomethesethingsareimportantbecausetheyareaboutus;theyareaboutpeople,andaboutafuturethatcanbebetterthanthepast.Also,forcountriesandcommunitiestocoexist,therehastobesomethingthatbindspeopletogether,astorytobetold.InthecaseofSouthSudan,somethinghasbeenlost.Wehave livedthroughthis: Iwasborn in the1960s;wegrewupwiththisasourexperience.GrowingupinnorthernSudaninapoliticalfamily,welivedtogetherandwereSoutherners.Weallusedtobundleintothesamecartogotoschoolandwedidn’tknowwhattribepeoplecamefrom.Atthattime,weknewwhoSouthSudanesewereandweknewourstruggle.Butafterthe1972agreement,thingsstartedtolookdifferent.Theseinternaltensionsbegantoemerge.ThenthestoryofSouthSudancontinuedtounfoldbeforeusinaterribleway.Ofcourse,goodthingshappened:webecameindependent,andthatwassomethingincredible.But itwasn’teasyandachieving itcamewithacost.Partof it isthefragmentationofoursociety–thepressurethathasbeenputonus–wehavebeenpushedtothebrink.Andwe

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arelivingwiththosecostsatthemoment.Sothisiswhythesethingsareimportant.Itisnotonly in South Sudan, that these things have to be preserved. In London, there is a lot ofrelevance.Wehavetothinkofwayspeoplecouldengagewiththeseobjects.IthinkthereishungerforitamongSouthSudanese;everyoneistalkingaboutwayswecouldreachouttoeachother–howcanweovercomethisterriblestatethatweareinatthemoment?Butweneedtothinkabouthowtomakethingslikethesemuseumobjectsaccessibletopeopleandmakethempartoftheirlives,inthewaythatnewpopularmusicisreintroducingthediasporayouthtotraditionalmusicinvernacularlanguages.Weneednewwaysofreachingpeople–eg taking photos to community centres, so that we can to start to ‘own’ these culturalheritageinitiatives.DiscussionpointsQuestions were raised about the ambiguities and divisiveness of things like missionaryhistories,theroleofthechurchesorthepositionofdiasporacommunities,andhowthesecould be addressed publicly. A central issuewhich emerged from the discussionwas thepotentialformuseumcollectionsthemselvestobedivisiveorunifying.ForexamplewhentheNationalArchiveorganised itsexhibitions, therewere inevitably somepeoplequestioningwhythereweredocumentsfromcertainareasandnotothers.SimilarlyourdiscussionraisedconcernsthattheSouthSudanesediasporaisbecomingmoredividedandfractured,andthatmoreeventsareneededtobringpeopletogether.Themuseumcollectionsthemselvesoftenreflectcolonialsystemsofcategorisationwhichneedtoberethought,notonlyintermsofethniccategoriesbutalsothinkingbeyondandacrossnationalborders.Creativepracticesandmaterialculturestendtotranscendboundaries,yettheymayberepresentedanddisplayedinwaysthatreinforcedifferenceanddivision.Theideaofatravellingmuseumexhibitionwasintendedtoencourageasenseofunity instead,withobjectspresentedbyfunctionratherthanbytribe,tofocusonsimilaritiesandsharingofstylesandskillsaswellascelebratingculturaldistinctiveness.

(Fromlefttoright)YouseffOnyall,UrškaFurlan,MarkoFrelih,MawanMuortat,Jan2018.

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SessionFour:Considerthe‘NuerandDinka’caseatthePittRiversMuseum

Weusedonesessiontoputourgeneraldiscussions-abouthistory,curatorialresponsibilityandcontemporaryconcerns-intopractice,throughanexampleofaspecificcuratorialdilemma.The‘NuerandDinka’caseontheuppergalleryofthePittRiversMuseumwasinstalledin1992.Atthattime,theaimofthecasewas toproduceadisplay thatwould illustrate theethnographic literatureonDinkaandNuersocieties. Itusedhistoricalandcontemporaryphotographstoillustratetheenvironmentandcattle-keeping.However,thereisnowayinwhichasmalldisplaycanadequatelyillustratethewayoflifeofmorethanamillionpeoplethroughacomplexhistory.Whatmessagesdoesthiscaseproject?What

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is–orwhatcouldbe–thepointofa‘NuerandDinka’museumdisplay?Whatisthe legitimacy of a display designed primarily to showcase ethnographicliterature?HowcanadisplaydojusticetoNuerandDinkapeopleintheworldtoday? What alternative strategies or questions could be developed in thedisplay?Shouldtheideaofa‘NuerandDinka’casebedispensedwithentirely?Ifso,whatcouldbethefocusofanewcase?Aselectionofthepointsraisedinourdiscussion:Defining‘subjects’Shouldthecasebecalled“NuerandDinka”?Maybepeoplesofthefloodplain.Ifitweretoremain“NuerandDinka”, then its significance in thehistoryofanthropologyneeds tobehighlightedforaudiencesthatmightnotbefamiliarwiththatcontext.ItisreallyacaseabouttheethnographicworkoftheanthropologistsE.E.Evans-PritchardandGodfreyLienhardt.Thereisaneedtobeexplicitabouttheroleofethnographiccategorieswithinthecase.RepresentingviolenceThedisplayspeaksmoretoconflictsbetweenNuerandDinkapeoplethancooperation.Ifadominantthemeinthecaseiswarandviolence,thereshouldalsobereferencestopeaceandreconciliation.Thecentral featureofthecase is the ‘sunburst’displayofweapons,veryreminiscentofacolonialtrophydisplayofweapons.Seeingtheobjectsdisplayedinthiswaypredisposestheviewer to think about the objects (and people) in amartialway. It also imposes its owntemporalityontothecase–invokingthecolonial,oreventhemedieval.Infact,someofthese“spears”arenotspearsforfightingatall–theyareceremonialobjects,butheretheyarethrowninwithwarobjectsandtheviewercorrespondinglyseesthemasevidenceofviolence.Eventhechoiceofredbackdropseemstoaddtothisimpression.Perhapsthereshouldbelessfocusonviolenceoverall.Itreinforcesthatthisis,inmanyways,averygenderedandstereotypicalcase.Couldwomen’slivesbemademoreexplicit?CommunicatinginformationThereweresuggestionstohaveavideooravoicerecordingexplainingtheobjects,ratherthanlongtextswhichdistractfromtheobjectsandlackaclearnarrative.ExploringcontinuityandchangeThere is also a question about continuity – can new objects be added to the case?Contemporaryitemscouldre-inforcetheideathatthereisacomplexhistoryhere.However,theremightalsobeavalueinpreservinghistoryinthecase.ManyofthetraditionalobjectsseenarebeingreplacedbyimportedobjectsinSouthSudanitself.Mostimportantly–whoarewedisplayingthisfor?

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Sessionfive:ExploringdigitalpossibilitiesGiven the dispersed nature of these museum collections, and their physicaldistance from South Sudan, digital platforms offer exciting possibilities forconnecting the collections to audiences in South Sudan and for making newconnectionsbetweendifferentcollections.Thefinalsessionofthedayexploredhow digital technology could be used to expand access and create newunderstandingsof SouthSudanese collections. Weheardabout twoongoingprojectsattheUniversityofOxfordwhicharebreakingnewgroundintheuseofdigitaltechnologiesforinterpretingmuseumobjects.TheCabinetprojectKathrynEccles,OxfordInternetInstituteTheCabinetisanonlineplatform,whichisaccessibletostudentsandthepublic.Itaimstomake Oxford University’s library and museum collections more accessible throughdigitisation.Photogrammetryallowsthecreationof3Dmodelsofobjects,allowingobjectsto be seen from different angles and perspective on screen. The Cabinet is a teachingresources:studentscanexploretheobjectsonline,basedontheclassestheytake.Thereisalso a tagging feature so educators can highlight particular features for the student’sattention. There are also considerable opportunities for wider public engagement: thisplatformcreatespotentialtoconnectcollectionswithpeople.Itallowsustoseemorethanoneviewpoint, thereforethere isgreaterroomformultiple interpretations.Thenextstepnowfortheprojectis3Dprinting.3Dmodelsallowpeopletoexploreobjectswiththeirhandswithouttheoriginalobjects.In the runup to theworkshop theCabinet team created 3Ddigitalmodels of two SouthSudaneseobjectsfromthePittRiver’sMuseumcollections.MobiletechnologyinthePittRiversMuseumHelenAdams,PittRiversMuseumMobile technology and crowdsourcing techniques have potential for democratisingknowledgewithin themuseum space and aboutmuseum collectionsmorewidely. HelenAdamstookusthroughexperiencesofusingmobiletechnologyinthePittRiversMuseum.ThePRMhistoricallyhasbeenatechnology-freezone,withnotouch-screens,buttonsetc.But it has begun to exploremobile technology. Smartphones offer new opportunities toincorporatetechnology,giventhatalmosteveryonehasthem.Theyexperimentedwith1)QRcodes, to linkobjectsondisplay towebpages andmore information. Thereare logisticalproblems with this, as you cannot put the code behind the glass. 2) Audio guides andinformationon Soundcloud (accessible through the free publicWi-Fi). Someof the SouthSudanesematerial isonthis resource.3) ‘Ibeacons’ theseareBluetoothdevices thatemitinformationthat is receivedthroughmobilephonesTheycanbeusedtogive informationaboutparticularobjectsanddisplaysthroughanappthatvisitorscandownload.

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Thenextstep(stillinpilotphase)hasbeentocreatewaystodiversifythestoriesthataretoldwithinthemuseum.The‘Diversifyingthevoice’projectdevelopedamobilesitewhichisaplatform for co-curation. Students, visitorsandothers canupload informationand storiesaboutobjectsinthemuseum.Theideaisthatthiswillcreateaspaceformorepersonalandnon-institutionalperspectivesaboutthecollections.

Theprocessofcreatinga3Ddigitalimageofakpinga(collectedbyEvans-Pritchard)atthePittRiversMuseum.Imagecredit:ZoeCormack

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ConclusionsTheworkshopasawholeconfirmedandencouragedanexcitingsenseofthepotentialforarangeofimportantworkwiththeSouthSudanesemuseumobjectsheldinEuropeandforbroaderexplorationsoftheideaofmuseums,materialcultureandheritagein/of/forSouthSudan.In Europe there is clearly a rangeof possibilities for rethinking and reworkinghowSouthSudaneseobjectsareidentifiedanddisplayed,forexploringthehistoriesandculturestheyembody,andforengagingneworexistingaudiences,includingSouthSudanesediasporaorvisitors.Buttherearealsoconstraintsandchallengesforcuratorsandothersseekingtoworkwith the collections, including very real resource limitations and the interestsofmuseumpublics. For South Sudanese, there may be uncomfortable aspects to the history andexperienceofethnographicmuseums–balancingthecontradictionoffeelingondisplay,yetat the same time not recognising oneselfwithin amuseum cabinet. As Sessions 3 and 4particularlyhighlighted, there isan importantquestion for curators, academicsoranyoneworkingwiththesecollectionsabouthowtodealwiththecategoriesandidentitieswhicharereifiedwithinthemuseum–andwhichmaybeasourceofdivisionamongSouthSudanesetodayaswellas revealingwiderhistoriesof inequality, imperialismand injustice.There isconsiderable enthusiasmamong the network participants for collaborative initiatives thatcouldbringcontemporaryperspectivestogetherwithhistoricalknowledgeinandonSouthSudantobetterdescribeanddisplaysomeoftheseobjects.Thedigitalpossibilitiesofferthepotential to share imagesor reproductionsbeyond theEuropeanmuseums, aswell as tobetter engage and inform museum visitors. The example of the ‘Reanimating CulturalHeritage’projectonSierraLeonewhichPaulBasu talkedabout in the firstworkshopalsodemonstratesthekindofcreative,dynamicworkthatcanbedoneto‘reanimate’museumartefacts.ThisleadstobroaderquestionsandideasaroundwhatmuseumsandculturalheritagemightmeanincontemporarySouthSudananditsdiaspora.Theveryrealandpainfulchallengesofworkinginthisareawiththe(re)currentsenseofcrisisandconflictinSouthSudanmayalsohave positive implications if creative solutions can be found to open up the concept of‘museum’. Perhaps, like the schoolchildren Elke Selter referred to, we can think not justoutsideabox,butwithoutabox(orcase)atall.Itisafteralltheirmovementfromoneplaceto another that gave the museum objects in Europe their original value for Europeancollectorsandaudiences;wecanthinkinnewwaysnowaboutthevalueofmovementandsharingofmaterial cultureswithinandbeyondSouthSudan.Theworkshopdiscussed thepotential use of objects in school education or diaspora community events, travellingexhibitions or art and performance. By opening out and transforming assumptions aboutwhatamuseumisandwhatitcando,thereisclearlyscopeforusingobjectstoexploreandgenerateasenseofsharedheritageandhistory,inallitscomplexity,troubleanddynamism.

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