Musée de Civilsations Noires

Last Friday we took a field trip to the Musée of Civilisations Noires in downtown Dakar. The museum wasn’t huge but contained lots of information, especially about topics we have been studying in the realm of the history of Senegal. What I thought was interesting is the tour guide stated that the museum was a culmination of all past four presidents of Senegal. Leopold Senghor (the president best known for his support of arts and culture) inspired the idea of preserving African culture. The next president started the collection. Abdoulaye Wade started the planning for the museum. And Macky Sall (the current president), inaugurated the museum in 2018.

There was a huge baobab tree in the center with roots stemming out

The museum is also a work to bring back African artwork and pieces from abroad. The museum had exhibits on the migration of civilization, scientific contributions of Africa, leaders, and women. Upstairs had exhibits in religion, masks, and contemporary art.

The mask exhibit

And the modern art section

There was a new exhibit that just opened that explored how Africa influenced some of Picasso’s artwork. (the french guy hugging his buddy goodbye after 2 months).

After our visit, we tried to get home but unfortunately, we chose to leave at rush hour (6 pm) from downtown where it seems like the entire city of Dakar works. It was the first time I could not find a taxi, but we wandered around for 30-60 min and finally found a ride home.