A Colonial Switzerland

Switzerland never had any colonies. This is, in essence, what schools were still teaching twenty years ago. The myth is crumbling in Prangins. The French-speaking branch of the Swiss National Museum is bringing together more than two hundred objects, archives, photographs and testimonies to demonstrate that Swiss prosperity was fueled, from the 17th century onwards, by the slave economy and global colonial economy. Zurich trade rifles, sugar from Brazilian plantations financed in Basel, Indian cotton woven in Aargau, Ghanaian cocoa imported to Vevey, evangelical missions in the Gold Coast, mercenaries in the Dutch East Indies, racist naturalists like Louis Agassiz, trading dynasties like Volkart or Reinhart: the list is long, methodical, and overwhelming. The exhibition doesn't judge. It documents, and does so with formidable precision. Contemporary African and Swiss artists punctuate the narrative with interventions that are sometimes humorous, often biting – the juxtaposition of family heirlooms and recounted stories is a history lesson in itself. In the princely castle overlooking Lake Geneva, the contrast is jarring.

PRANGINS CASTLE - SWISS NATIONAL MUSEUM
Until October 11, 2026