La Casa Verde, Ethnographic Museum of Equatorial Guinea

Introductory Remarks

The digital exhibit "Reframing the Colonial Library: Equatorial Guinea Archives in the Museum" engages with the country's colonial library. Following the approach of Benita Sampedro Vizcaya, the re-evaluation of the colonial library demands “dislocating the traditionally central and privileged role of metropolitan texts and neo-colonial discourses in order to engage, instead, with the cultural and intellectual production of Guinean intellectuals themselves (341).” The project embraces her emphasis on re-locating canonical texts and privileged categories of analysis such as race, capitalism, empire, or nation. This way, the exhibit attempts to reconfigure, appropriate, transform, and transgress the colonial, historical, and linguistic inheritance of which 'the local' is also a conduit, as explained by Sampedro Vizcaya. The revision of the colonial library requires “awareness of the power of those sites, not only in terms of the day-to-day functioning of the empire-colony relationship but also in regard to the epistemic and representational weight they carry in broader cultural and political practices and projects, both colonial and neocolonial (343).” This way, the exhibit turns “to the potential of the archive and the colonial library as sites from which the seemingly irreversible power of colonialism can simultaneously be enacted and contested (343).”

This exhibit is divided into three parts, chronologically interconnected, that cover Equatorial Guinean colonial and neocolonial history. The sections are: "The Temptation of Empire", “Neocolonial Politics in the Museum and Conflicting Identities in Eguatorial Guinea" and “Alternative Conservation and Heritage Practices in Equatorial Guinea. The Case of the Museum Felipe Osá Angüé." This organization aims to deconstruct visitors' perception of the colonial archive and its uses from a transhistorical and global angle. Each section addresses the ideological uses of the archive both in the metropolis and the former colony, questioning the Spanish civilizational mission that still persists beneath the language of institutional collaboration and modernization in cultural spaces.

The completion of this digital project has been made possible through the 2024 Mellon Doctoral Summer Fellowship awarded by the Price Lab for the Digital Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania. The exhibition portal will be available indefinitely thanks to the support of Van Pelt Libraries.

Bibliography:

Sampedro-Vizcaya, Benita. "Rethinking the Archive and the Colonial Library: Equatorial Guinea." Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, 2008, pp. 341-363.

Title: La Casa Verde, Ethnographic Museum of Equatorial Guinea
Subject: The Aftermath of the Museum Felipe Osa Angüé
Description: "La Casa Verde" in Malabo is a historic colonial building dating back to the mid-19th century, constructed from American pine and originally built in Belgium. This structure, one of the oldest in the city, has served various roles, including as the Portuguese Consulate and later as headquarters for Spanish companies.

"La Casa Verde" is currently in a state of disrepair. Restoration efforts, initiated over two years ago by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, have been delayed and are now stalled, leaving the building in a precarious condition. Once a key tourist attraction, the building now stands largely abandoned, with locals expressing deep concern over its uncertain future. The incomplete renovations have turned what was once a symbol of Malabo's colonial heritage into a neglected site.

The situation with "La Casa Verde" in Malabo raises significant concerns about the future of Felipe Osá Angue's collection. Despite its historical and cultural importance, "La Casa Verde" has fallen into disrepair due to stalled restoration efforts, highlighting potential risks for other cultural assets under institutional care in Equatorial Guinea. The neglect and uncertain fate of "La Casa Verde" suggest that similar challenges could threaten the preservation, presentation, and integrity of Felipe's collection if it is not adequately maintained and respected within its new institutional context.
Creator: Alexis Hernando Cubas
Source: RREG. Revista Real EquatorialGuinea "La Casa Verde y la Biblioteca Nacional de Malabo se podrían reabrir al público tras años cerradas"
Feb 5th, 2023. https://realequatorialguinea.com/destacado/la-casa-verde-y-la-biblioteca-nacional-de-malabo-se-podrian-reabrir-al-publico-tras-anos-cerradas/; Benjamin Engonga Ngui Eyang, RREG. Revista Real EquatorialGuinea.
"La eterna reforma de la Casa Verde de Malabo". June 21st, 2023. https://realequatorialguinea.com/turismo/la-eterna-reforma-de-la-casa-verde-de-malabo/
Date: August, 2024
Rights: Creative Commons
Language: English, Spanish
Type: Text
Coverage: Equatorial Guinea

Original Format: Photo

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3. Alternative Conservation and Heritage Practices in Equatorial Guinea. The Case of the Museum Felipe Osá Angüé

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Alexis Hernando Cubas, “La Casa Verde, Ethnographic Museum of Equatorial Guinea,” Reframing Archives: Equatorial Guinea's Colonial Library, accessed November 3, 2026, https://hernando.upenn.domains/items/show/66.

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