THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA
“Here rests in God my dear N**** I Chim Bebe I died in 1912 at the age of 26.” This inscription on the grave of a man born in the West African colony of Togo, found in the old cemetery in Saarlouis, reveals Africa’s close proximity—even here in Saarland.
Although we all have our origins in Africa and Egyptian culture still shapes us today, while the Roman Empire’s granaries were in North Africa and powerful African kingdoms flourished during the Middle Ages, Africa has been portrayed on world maps since the days of Mercator as smaller than its actual size and the continent continues to be underestimated in both its geographic scope and its significance for world history, despite its prehistorical role as the birthplace of humankind. THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA signifies all of this, in addition to the global reach of the African diaspora, wrought by the transatlantic slave trade and the forced displacement of African people worldwide, with lasting impacts to this day.
Exactly 140 years ago, in November 1884, the Congo Conference was opened in Berlin, which divided up Africa among the colonial powers without any African participation: Reason enough to take a different look in 2024 at this huge continent and the people who come from it. THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA tests approaches that identify traditions of thought, prejudices and stereotypes and enable new perspectives—by means of cultural history and contemporary art, through constant changes of perspective and artistic polyphony. ‘We want to be an eye-opener, not just a feast for the eyes. We want to move and inspire in equal measure,’ says Dr Ralf Beil, General Director of the World Heritage Völklinger Hütte and curator of the exhibition.
While a MUSEUM OF MEMORABILITY reflects on Africa's past and present from the perspective of colonial Europe, African sculptures and objects from private collections in Saarland enter into a dialogue with the machines and flywheels of the historic blower hall. ‘The central idea of this exhibition structure is a methodical reversal of perspective. Industrial modernity, which has repeatedly darkened Europe, meets a multifaceted, illuminating African culture,’ says curator Dr Ralf Beil.
Major artworks from recent decades are paired with numerous sound and spatial installations realised especially for the show by artists from Africa and the global diaspora, all making THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA tangible. For the first time, this exhibition route, reflecting the vastness of the subject, extends from the Pump house through the Blower hall, the Compressor hall, and the Sintering plant, all the way to the Ore shed.
Major artworks from recent decades are paired with numerous sound and spatial installations realised especially for the show by artists from Africa and the global diaspora, all making THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA tangible. For the first time, this exhibition route, reflecting the vastness of the subject, extends from the Pump house through the Blower hall, the Compressor hall, and the Sintering plant, all the way to the Ore shed.
One powerful symbol for this intention is Emeka Ogboh’s sound installation “The Land Remembers,” created specifically for THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA. Visitors are welcomed by this beautiful, yet irritating sound piece in the Pump house before they even reach the main exhibition in the Blower hall. Each voice has its own speaker, producing a unique soundscape in the space—an unusual kind of a cappella concert. The song heard here is the “Steigerlied” (a traditional miners’ song), sung in Oshivambo, a Namibian language, and recorded by the African Vocals in Windhoek with new lyrics by Emeka Ogboh. The text tells of colonial land seizures, exploitation, wounds, and rebirth. In this way, an element of Germany’s intangible heritage becomes an African song, reflecting a shared past.
As visitors first enter the Blower hall, the exhibition programmatically bridges the history of humanity from its origins to the present day. The thematic clusters comprising this unique museum are titled:
Beyond the Mercator Map / Africa, Cradle of Humankind / Ancient Egypt, Religion, and Culture / Medieval Kingdoms in Africa / Black in the Eighteenth Century / Early Colonialism: Missionaries and Military / Congo Conference in Berlin, 1884/85 / First Pan-African Conference in London 1900 / Colonial Germany / Colonial Saarland / Politics of Memory and Monuments: Dar es Salaam, Hamburg, Cape Town, Bristol / Colonial Heroes/Criminals / After World War I: The Black Horror on the Saar / Before World War II: Colonial Renaissance in Germany / Pathways of Pan-Africanism: Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie, Bob Marley / 1960, Year of Independence / Structural Racism: James Baldwin, Angela Davis / Migration in the Line of Fire: Samuel Yeboah / Greetings from Africa / Queer Culture / Afroglobal Music and Dance.
The catalogue
Mock up Katalog
A richly illustrated catalogue in English will be published in February 2025 by Hirmer Verlag, edited by Ralf Beil, Markus Messling and Christiane Solte-Gresser, with contributions from Ralf Beil, Elara Bertho, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Till Förster, Franck Hofmann, Nadia Yala Kisukidi, Markus Messling and Christiane Solte-Gresser.
A documentation of the Museum of Memorability, text-image inserts on all artists and works in the exhibition as well as literary-philosophical source texts from Chinua Achebe, Johannes Leo Africanus, James Baldwin and Josephine Baker to Teju Cole, Olaudah Equiano, Patrice Lumumba, Wole Soyinka, Binyavanga Wainaina and many more make this book a veritable compendium of THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA.
Price in the museum store from February 1, 2025: €50 and €55 in bookshops and in our online store.
In cooperation with the Käte Hamburger Centre for Cultural Practices of Reparation CURE at Saarland University
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"The True Size of Africa" - Ausstellung im Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte | Deutschland Radio Kultur
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Was das Saarland mit Afrika zu tun hat | SR 3 - Land und Leute
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Ausstellung "The True Size Of Africa" in der Völklinger Hütte | SR Kultur
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Eröffnung der Ausstellung „True size of Africa“ | SR aktueller bericht
PRESS COMMENTS THE TRUE SIZE OF AFRICA
„Es wird eine der größten Ausstellungen werden, die es in der Völklinger Hütte je gegeben hat. „The True Size of Africa“ trägit die wahre Größe Afrikas nicht nur im Namen, sie wird auch an fünf verschiedenen Orten der Hütte zu sehen sein, im Pumpenhaus, in der Gebläsehalle, der Verdichterhalle, der Sinteranlage und der Erzhalle.“
Nicole Baronsky-Ottmann, Saarbrücker Zeitung, 23. Oktober 2024
„Das aktuelle Mammut-Projekt des Weltkulturerbe-Chefs Ralf Beil zeigt ihn in Bestform. In der Gebläsehalle inszeniert er einen fulminanten Mix aus musealen Objekten und zeitgenössischer Kunst und schafft ein mitreißendes Afrika-Erlebnis. […] mit dieser Schau gelangt man ins Offene, emotional und gedanklich.“
Cathrin Elss-Seringhaus, Saarbrücker Zeitung, 8. November 2024
„Schliesslich endet die Ausstellung mit einer fünfzigminutigen Installation des Videokünstlers John Akomfrah aus Ghana, die erstmals in Deutschland gezeigt wird und in Bann schlägt. Zu sehen: die Facetten des afrikanischen Kontinents. Fleischfressende Pflanzen öffnen sich in makelloser Schönheit. Elefanten trauern um ein erschossenes Mitglied der Herde. Migranten wandern durch die endlose Wüste. Wer es bis hierher in die Erzhalle der Völklinger Hütte geschafft hat, kann die wahre Größe Afrikas nun tatsächlich besser ermessen.“
Anke Schäfer, Deutschlandfunk Fazit, 10. November 2024
Opening impressions
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Kongo Astronauts
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Dr. Ralf Beil
Generaldirektor Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte
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Dr. Andreas Görgen
Leitender Beamter |Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien
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Christine Streichert-Clivot
Ministerin für Bildung und Kultur des Saarlandes
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Kongo Astronauts | The All-Vibrant,2024
Live-Performance by Pisko Crâne
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Jakob Freiherr von Weizsäcker
Minister der Finanzen und für Wirtschaft des Saarlandes
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Prof. Markus Messling
Direktor Käte Hamburger Kolleg CURE | Universität des Saarlandes
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Prof. Christiane Solte-Gresser
Direktorin Käte Hamburger Kolleg CURE | Universität des Saarlandes
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Prof. Souleymane Bachir Diagne
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THE MEDIAGUIDE
The media guide provides in-depth information about the exhibition, the Museum of Memorability as well as on all artists, works and installations in the show. In addition, it also provides the soundtracks for numerous videos and film projections in the exhibition.
Media guide and headphones to borrow are included in the admission price. You are welcome to bring your own headphones with cable (3.5 mm jack plug).
THE PROGRAMME
An extensive supporting programme accompanies the exhibition with film screenings, panel discussions, workshops, readings and lectures. Cooperation partners include the Käte Hamburger Centre for Cultural Practices of Reparation CURE at Saarland University, Aktion 3. Welt Saar, the Filmhaus Saarbrücken, the Haus Afrika association, the achteinhalb cinema and the Kassiopeia art school.
You can find the daily updated programme up to the finissage on 17 August 2025 at: www.voelklinger-huette.org
