Sound Colonial Knowledge in the MEG Collection

Raphaela von Weichs discusses her provenance research on musical instruments for the exhibition ‘Afrosonica – soundscapes’ (2025) at the Geneva Museum of Ethnography (MEG). The conversation explores the “biographies” of objects, how they were collected, often through missionary strategies or scientific missions, and the colonial ideologies that facilitated their acquisition for Switzerland. By examining musical instruments such as a lamellophone collected by missionary François Coillard in what is today Zimbabwe, the podcast explores Switzerland’s role as a producer of colonial knowledge on sound and soundscapes in Africa. It thereby questions a racialized evolutionist classification systems of musical instruments developed in the early 20th century.

The discussion shifts towards the profound ethical implications of this history, ranging from the disturbing collection of human remains for anthropometric data to the current pressing demands for restitution. Raphaela von Weichs emphasizes that listening is not merely a sonic act but an interior process that connects listeners to the emotions and responsibilities of the past.