Perceptions of the real in museums run the risk of creating a reality of fragmented discourses that, when removed from their original context, prevent us from perceiving an another reality, entirely diverse from our own, building a distorted image of the "other".

The processes that culminated in the independence of the former European colonies affected disciplines that, directly or indirectly, legitimized colonial power. The New Museology movement provoked actions that brought the museum closer to the community, making it possible to include groups related to the safeguarded collections within the institutions.