A museum in Dortmund has come under fire after it was revealed that an exhibition on colonialism involved a section in which white people were specifically banned from entering, leading to accusations of racism from critics.
The “This is Colonialism” exhibition has a special space reserved for non-white people and has been going on every Saturday for several months, with organisers claiming that the policy is meant to provide a so-called “safe space” for black people and other minorities, a report from Euronews states.
While the exhibition had been going on for months, it did not become a scandal until a white group of radio journalists was asked not to enter the exhibition area due to the colour of their skin.
The museum is run by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), and a spokeswoman explained the exhibit’s restrictions saying, “We want to give people who are affected by racism a protected space in which they can retreat and exchange ideas openly.”
“It’s about four of a total of 48 hours of opening time a week,” the spokeswoman said and claimed that no white people had actually been turned away from the exhibit but had simply been requested not to enter.
Barbara Rüschoff-Parzinger, the head of Culture at the LWL, added, “People who also experience racism in our country do so seven days a week. We, on the other hand, ask for greater consideration four hours a week by respecting this protected space. You really can’t equate that.”
“We just want to have the right to try out the concept of a protected space in the context of our workshop on colonialism,” she added.
The museum has also come under fire from politicians, including the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) chair of the Gelsenkirchen parliamentary group Jan Preuß, who visited the museum personally, recording his experience of being told only certain groups were allowed access to the area.
However, according to a report from Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung the AfD politician was not accosted when he stepped foot in the area and left on his own accord.
German social media users have also harshly criticised the museum, with some outright calling the policy “racism against whites” and arguing that the move is akin to the spirit of apartheid. Some of the more fiery comments, however, have allegedly been reported to German police.
Nazim Dogu from the anti-discrimination office of the AWO district of Kleve was also critical of the museum’s policy, arguing,
It can be counterproductive because the exhibition is a place where people can talk together about what happened and colonialism. A place of encounter, where you can also talk to other visitors and people of colour.
So-called “safe spaces” for minorities and people of colour banning white people are not uncommon among many countries in the Western world in recent years.
In Canada, a theatre in the capital city of Ottawa came under criticism earlier this year after announcing performances that were intended to be black-only, stating that only those who identify as black would be allowed to attend.
“A Black Out is an open invitation to Black-identifying audiences to come and experience performances with their community,” the Babs Asper Theatre, run by the taxpayer-funded National Arts Centre, said in a statement.
“The evenings will provide a dedicated space for Black theatregoers to witness a show that reflects the vivid kaleidoscope that is the Black experience,” the theatre added.
Similar “black-out” performances have also been seen in the United Kingdom, with white theatregoers in London being told earlier this year in May not to attend a play regarding African-American history entitled Tambo & Bones.
“A Black Out night is the purposeful creation of an environment in which an all-black-identifying audience can experience and discuss an event in the performing arts, film, and cultural spaces – free from the white gaze,” the Theatre Royal Stratford East said.
The Theatre’s artistic director Nadia Fall defended the concept of black-only performances saying, “I’m not a black person but, as a human being, I understand there are some occasions where a community wants to come together to reflect or celebrate and so on.”
“This is about one occasion where people can be together as a community. I understand that. Not everybody will. I understand that there are spaces sometimes where it’s not about me as an Asian woman,” she added.
Policies directed at excluding white people have also been seen in areas outside museums and the performing arts, including media in the UK, such as the BBC, posting job openings that specifically exclude white people.
