Reclaiming the Narrative: A New Generation of Museums in West Africa

"As countries in Africa emerged from colonialism in the mid-twentieth century, many expressed their independent identities through architecture. This process continues several decades later, exemplified by several new museums in West Africa, recently completed or in planning. Although varying in purpose and form, they have some common goals: addressing the need for restitution of many artifacts taken during colonialism and mostly kept in European museums; and defining a museum with local identity as opposed to a non-contextual import."

"The history of the museum as a typology is a long and complex one. Since prehistoric times, humans have built collections, as evidenced by burial customs discovered by archaeologists. The idea of a modern museum, i.e., a publicly accessible collection, started in Renaissance Europe, when avid collectors bequeathed their artifacts to public bodies. Exploration and empire increased collections and museums multiplied in number in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries."

"Over the years, demands for restitution grew, from Africa and from other continents as well. The Benin Bronzes, a collection of thousands of intricate cast pieces from Benin City, plundered during the British Expedition of 1897, especially drew much attention. One of the arguments given against the return of objects to their countries of origin was the lack of adequate facilities to house them. Thus, the impetus for a new generation of museums is the establishment of state-of-the-art repositories for returned museum pieces."

New museums in West Africa serve to address restitution demands and to establish museums with local identity rather than non-contextual imports. The museum typology has ancient roots, while the modern public museum originated in Renaissance Europe and expanded with exploration and empire, often acquiring collections taken without consent. High-profile cases like the Benin Bronzes intensified calls for returns, with critics citing inadequate facilities in origin countries as a barrier. The recent museum projects aim to provide state-of-the-art repositories to house returned objects and to symbolically and physically assert postcolonial cultural sovereignty.

Read at ArchDaily