Das Album.

In studying history, one learns to go into the archives and search for sources, but particularly when examining the colonial era, there is a significant imbalance in the available sources. While colonial powers and their members created sources to justify their rule or present themselves as superior, the power imbalance prevented the colonized from creating and preserving their own sources. It was not in the interest of the colonizers for the oppressed to document their daily lives or circumstances. There was limited access to writing materials or education to create textual or photographic sources. Instead, stories and impressions were shared orally, passed down to children. However, these stories are difficult, if not impossible, to trace when searching as we do. Museums in Tanzania are beginning to document these stories, but often today, generations later, only fragments are remembered, especially if pain and trauma have long led to a desire to forget.
Therefore, we must assume that we may not find answers to many of our questions because colonialism has resulted in people growing up with incomplete or absent histories and memories.
— Who are the Black individuals in the photograph? — Did the oppressed have any choice in the colonial power dynamics? Could they object to being photographed? — What happened to them? Do their descendants still live in Tanzania today? — Why were their names not recorded in the photo album? Did Theodor Schneemann even ask for their names? Were the individuals known to him by name? If not, why does he choose to be photographed with strangers?

In addition to the questions for which we may not have much information, there are questions that we would like to answer and for which we do have access to sources. These are questions we hope to address at a later time and that will enhance the exhibition as time goes on.
— Why did Theodor Schneemann enlist in the colonial service?
— How exactly was he involved in the suppression of the Maji-Maji Rebellion?
— What specific people and places do the photographs depict?
— What was the purpose of the photo album, and what significance did it hold for the family after returning to Germany?