Zurich faces up to its colonialist past

Anyone who has taken the city tour with ZH kolonial will see Zurich with different eyes forever. Wiedikon station: houses a mural with colonial stereotypes. Globi: a racist. The old town: full of traces from colonial times, including numerous uses of the M-word.

Switzerland never had its own colonies. Which doesn't mean it doesn't have a colonial past. One that reaches into the present.

The city of Zurich decided some time ago to face up to its own colonial past. For example, the inscriptions on two municipal properties in the Old Town are to be covered up because the M-word creates a racist effect. The building applications are still pending.

In the first half of the current year, the city will now deal with its colonial past and present in public and with the involvement of numerous institutions. At the centre is an exhibition in the town hall entitled Blind Spots: Zurich and Colonialism.

The exhibition brochure states that numerous connections to the colonies contributed to the city's rise as an economic metropolis - and that the exhibition aims to create greater awareness of these colonial ties of Zurich. All Zurichers are affected by them in one way or another.

The vernissage of the exhibition Blind Spots: Zurich and Colonialism is open to the public and will take place on 19 January 2023 from 7 pm. Among those present will be the curators and City President Corine Mauch. The exhibition will officially run from 20 January to 15 July 2023 from Monday to Saturday.

To complement the exhibition, events will be held in numerous Zurich institutions to contribute to the discussion of Zurich's colonialism links as well as racism in general. Below are some recommendations from the first weeks of the programme: