What lives and stories are connected to the objects in museums? What remains unseen and unsaid? And how might these cultural artefacts speak to us? Dear Museum! is a new work by Albert Ibokwe Khoza, a performance artist from South Africa, commissioned by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in collaboration with African Entertainers, Johannesburg. Dear Museum! is both a love letter and a farewell letter to ethnological museum practice. The performance questions this practice and explores the gaps in the presentation of the collections. Following the sensational performance THE BLACK CIRCUS OF THE REPUBLIC OF BANTU, which explored the colonial human zoos as part of the Transkontinentale Festival 2024, Khoza is developing this world premiere specifically for the Humboldt Forum.
Image above: Portrait of performance artist Albert Ibokwe Khoza for the in-house production “Dear Museum!” © African Entertainers
With his new performance, Albert Ibokwe Khoza challenges the work of Western ethnological museums – in particular the Ethnological Museum at the Humboldt Forum – in a manner that is both provocative and conciliatory. The subtitle of Dear Museum! is The Truth of the Matter: It Seems Everything Was Better When We Were Not Telling the Truth, which refers to the questions that remain unanswered regarding the handling of collections from the colonial era.
“From my position of ‘deviant presence’, I recount experiences I have had whilst wandering through the quiet corners and subtle acts of violence within museum walls. I focus on what has been carefully staged, but also on what remains unsaid. I present truths that have been overlooked, or rather, omitted.” (Albert Ibokwe Khoza)
Albert Ibokwe Khoza, an internationally recognised performance artist and sangoma (traditional healer), consistently challenges social injustices and deeply entrenched norms through her artistic practice. In doing so, Khoza brings to light the multifaceted presence of a solitary, non-binary, feminine-appearing male figure – a persona that oscillates between visibility and deviance. Through her engagement with sexuality and traditional practices, Khoza moves fluidly between various artistic media. In her works, the environment, leadership and life itself are critically questioned.
Khoza is a multi-award-winning artist, having received, among other honours, the 2023 Bessie Award for And So You See … Our Honorable Blue Sky and Ever Enduring Sun … Can Only Be Consumed Slice by Slice … (a collaboration with Robyn Orlin). Khoza’s body of work also includes The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, which toured internationally across the USA, South America and Europe, as well as The Red Femicycle and Influence of a Closet Chant, which further cement Khoza’s distinctive voice within contemporary performance art.
Featuring: Albert Ibokwe Khoza (concept, performance), Julia Zenzie Burnham (performance), Princess Mhlongo (external consultant & production manager), Ngobile “Rick” Natasia (set & props), Sandile Madi (video), Noluthando Lobese (costumes), Yogin Sullaphen (composition), Nkululeko Mazibuko (lighting design), Miranda Mogodla (assistant & stage manager)
WHEN?
World premiere: 29. May 2026
29./30. May and 4.–6. June 2026
7–8.30 pm
WHERE?
Hall 2
Humboldt Forum
Schloßpl.
10178 Berlin
