Museum of Black Civilisations

The Museum of Black Civilisations (French: Musée des civilisations noires) is a national museum in Dakar, Senegal, that opened on 6 December 2018.

Museum of Black Civilizations

Established	21 December 2011
Location	Senegal
Coordinates	14°40′39″N 17°26′06″W
Website	mcn.sn
Location of Museum of Black Civilisations

It is directed by Hamady Bocoum, an archaeologist and researcher at Cheikh-Anta-Diop University. The museum was conceived with the goal of highlighting "Africa's contribution to the world's cultural and scientific patrimony." According to Bocoum, it is particularly important to remember that "ironworking was discovered in Africa 2500 years before Christ."^[1]

The museum was on the list of "ultramodern museums" compiled by Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy in their report on the restitution of African cultural heritage Rapport sur la restitution du patrimoine culturel africain. Vers une nouvelle éthique relationnelle (en: The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage: Toward a New Relational Ethics) submitted in November 2018 to the president of France.^[2]

History

Opened on 6 December 2018, it is the realisation of the vision of Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegal's first President, to create a museum that would represent the histories and contemporary cultures of Black people everywhere.^[3] The museum cost an estimated $30,000,000 to construct.^[4] The museum has requested the repatriation of African artworks, given that up to 95 percent of Africa's cultural heritage is held outside Africa by major museums.^[5] The Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris, for example, holds 70,000 objects from Sub-Saharan Africa.^[6][7] The museum was recognised by Time magazine as one of the "World's 100 Greatest Places of 2019".^[8]

Collections

• 
  Armor of Dogon hunter
• 
  Serigne Babacar Sy's babouches
• 
  Sculpture of Ovonramwen being exiled

References

1. "Le Sénégal souhaite la restitution de « toutes » ses œuvres d'art". Le Monde (in French). Internet Archive. Agence France-Presse. 28 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
2. Sarr, Felwine; Bénédicte Savoy (November 2018). Rapport sur la restitution du patrimoine culturel africain. Vers une nouvelle éthique relationnelle (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
3. "Le Sénégal inaugure un Musée des civilisations noires à Dakar". Le Monde (in French). 5 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
4. Brown, Kate (7 December 2018). "Senegal Unveils a Vast Museum That Raises the Stakes in Africa's Campaign to Reclaim Its Art". artnet News. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
5. Searcey, Dionne; Farah Nayeri (15 January 2019). "Senegal's Museum of Black Civilizations Welcomes Some Treasures Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
6. Nayeri, Farah (21 November 2018). "Museums in France Should Return African Treasures, Report Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
7. Katz, Brigit (10 December 2018). "Sprawling Museum of Black Civilizations Opens in Senegal". Smithsonian.
8. "Museum of Black Civilizations: The World's 100 Greatest Places of 2019". Time. Retrieved 23 August 2019.

External links

• Museum of Black Civilizations