MUSEUM OF BLACK CIVILIZATION
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It was the precious dream of Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegal's first president, to endow the country's capital with an exceptional museum, dedicated to the black peoples from the dawn of humanity to the present day. A promise that has now been fulfilled with the opening of the Museum of Black Civilizations in December 2018. Opposite the Grand Théâtre National, the circular building, inspired by the traditional Casamance impluvium hut, is now a landmark in the capital's landscape, at the gateway to the administrative and business district. It took seven years of work, begun under the mandate of Abdoulaye Wade, and an investment of more than 30 million euros, financed by the Chinese, for its construction and development. With a surface area of 14,000 m², it can accommodate up to 18,000 rooms, presenting the history and evolution of the African continent. Archaeological remains, objects of worship, photographs and contemporary creations are exhibited on two floors, around a gigantic metal baobab (4.5 metres high), created by the Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. Today, this fascinating museum only presents temporary exhibitions, fed by the collections of partner museums such as the Quai Branly, and which rotate regularly. At a time when the debate on the restitution of works of African art is being revived, this museum offers itself as an ultramodern infrastructure to host them.
Un musée à voir si de passage à Dakar.