Ripensare l'Africa. La collezione di Ernesto Brissoni al Museo di Antropologia e Etnologia di Firenze

Abstract

Among the thousands of objects from the African continent that came to the museum in the colonial era, Ernesto Brissoni's collection from the Congo deserves particular attention. Due to the quality of the works of the collection, it has repeatedly aroused
the interest of scholars and curators of exhibitions in Italy and abroad. The collection is currently on display along the Florentine Museum's tour itinerary. Indeed, it is part of a very dated exhibition dedicated to Central Africa, characterized by a museography
no longer adequate for its best valorisation. This study is a preliminary report aimed towards a more modern rereading of this collection and a rethinking of its future exhibition. This study also in takes into consideration the meanings that the artefacts have
assumed in the contexts of the research and exhibitions of which they were protagonists. It is necessary that any exhibit answers more fully to the needs requested by a multicultural society which interprets objects from a decolonialisation perspective.