In Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey, we hear the voice of the past—literally. Diop gives a voice to one of the 26 royal treasures returned to Benin as we follow its journey home. In just under 70 minutes, Dahomey turns a story about the return of stolen objects into a debate on what happens when pieces of a country’s history, memories, and identity have been taken away. This week, we’re talking with historian Dr. Jimena Perry about museums… a lot. Because sure, museums can sometimes feel boring, but they can also be messy, political, and transformative spaces where we negotiate memory, identity, and the stories we carry forward. By the end of this conversation, you might see museums a little differently. And we have a list of places below to get you started!

Works Discussed:

Dahomey (Mati Diop, 2024)

The Birth of the Museum (Tony Benett, 1994)

Museums Discussed:

Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (“Geneva Ethnography Museum”) Dialogue Objects– Geneva, Switzerland

National Center for Human and Civil Rights Atlanta, USA

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)- The Temple of Dendur NYC, USA

Museum of the City of New York NYC, USA

Museo Casa de la Memoria (Memory House Museum) Medellin, Colombia

International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Geneva, Switzerland

El museo del barrio NYC USA

Tenement Museum NYC USA

Hispanic Society Museum and Library NYC USA

Museo Nacional de Colombia (National Museum of Colombia) Bogota, Colombia

Martin Luther King Jr’s Birth Home Atlanta, USA

Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage Grasmere, England

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington DC, USA