Projecte WanBel. 50 anys de la independència de Papua Nova Guinea

To mark the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's independence, proclaimed on 16 September 1975, the international WANBEL initiative has brought together nearly fifty museums from around the world for a year-long celebration.

The project promotes exhibitions, educational activities and shared digital resources to raise the profile of Papua New Guinean cultural heritage and the collections preserved outside the country.

The name WanBel, which in Tok Pisin evokes the idea of community and unity, symbolises this collective effort to highlight the cultural wealth of Papua New Guinea and strengthen the bonds between the collections and their communities of origin.

In this context, the Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món is joining the international celebration by showcasing its significant Papua New Guinea collection, largely formed through expeditions carried out by the museum to the country during the second half of the 20th century, which today remains present in both the permanent exhibition and the museum's research lines.

During the month of September, a small-scale audiovisual display will open at the Montcada venue in the Videowall space, bringing together historical photographs from the expeditions, images of pieces from the museum's collections and audiovisuals that introduce visitors to the cultural diversity, social practices and ways of life of Papua New Guinea.

This intervention aims to offer a contemporary perspective on the country and strengthen the ties between the collections preserved in the museum and the communities from which they originate.