To bludgeon or to heal? The influence and role of volunteers in supporting decolonisation within the Horniman Museum’s Cha, Chai, Tea exhibition

Abstract

Post-2020, museums are increasingly coming to terms with their colonial pasts and are dedicating themselves to becoming spaces where visitors can encounter critical histories of Empire. However, there has been a lack of academic focus related to how public facing or ‘live interpreter’ volunteers are strategically utilised to support the delivery of museum decolonisation, as well as the implications this has for volunteering. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews and participant observation, this paper examines the experiences of Engage volunteers at the Horniman Museum in supporting the delivery of the decolonising Chá, Chai, Tea exhibition, and explores the extent to which these experiences align with topdown institutional aspirations. Findings suggest that whilst Engage volunteers are supportive of the decolonising emphasis of Chá, Chai, Tea, they are equally frustrated by institutional frameworks that hampers their live interpretation and subsequent contribution to the Horniman’s decolonisation process.