"Unusual dialogues". Talking and communicating with animals in Amazonia

Interactive installation, sound recordings and natural specimens from Amazonia: explore the links between the Wayana, animals and spirits! Permanent exhibition. May 9 - August 4, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Come and enjoy a surprising sound experience in MEG's permanent exhibition!
The multimedia installation "Unusual Dialogues". Talking and communicating with animals in Amazonia takes you on a journey of discovery of Wayana animal calls and imitations of the songs and calls of animal species native to Amazonia.

An unusual dialogue between the Museum and MEG collections
During the period when it is closed to the public, the Geneva Museum of Natural History takes part in an encounter with the collections of the Geneva Museum of Ethnography (MEG). The unusual dialogue between natural history collections and sound recordings held at MEG reveals the links between the Wayana, an Amerindian people living on the borders of Brazil, Guyana and Suriname, and the animals and spirits of the forest.

Talking and communicating with animals in Amazonia
In Amazonia, sound is the primary means of communication between Amerindians and the rest of the world. According to the Wayana perspective, sound (voice, music, noises, etc.) enables people, spirits and animals to communicate with each other. For the Wayana, it's all about reciprocity between humans, animals and forest spirits.
In 2023, MEG welcomed a Wayana delegation to listen to recordings of ritual songs and instruments whose manufacture had been lost. A vast project to re-socialize Amazonian sound collections with source communities was launched in 2024 by MEG and the Lucerne University of Music.