Podcast | UvA musicologist returned century-old colonial collection from the UvA to Indonesia (Dutch spoken)
Hundred years ago, researcher Jaap Kunst made sound recordings of music, poetry and traditions in the former Dutch East Indies. His work served a strongly imperialist purpose. In the second episode of Folia’s Uitgedokterd podcast, editor Jip Koene speaks to musicologist Barbara Titus, who returned Kunst’s recordings to their source communities. What makes these recordings relevant today?
Over the past two summers, Barbara Titus, Associate Professor of Cultural Musicology at the UvA, travelled to Indonesia with a clear aim: to return a century-old colonial collection held by the UvA to the communities from which it originated. The collection is known as the Jaap Kunst Collection. In the 1930s, researcher Jaap Kunst made more than 300 recordings of local traditions, poetry and music. Although Kunst had a personal fascination with this music, his work also served a strongly imperialist purpose within the colonial rule of the Dutch East Indies. Why did Titus return these sound recordings, and what makes Kunst’s work relevant today?
Listen to the podcast on Spotify and other podcast platforms, or watch the video recording below on YouTube.
