After 52 years of waiting, Senegal is finally opening what has been described as the largest museum of black civilization in the capital, Dakar.

 

经历52年的等待，塞内加尔在首都达喀尔建造的最大的黑人文明博物馆将开馆。
 

 

With close to 14,000 square metres of floor space and capacity for 18,000 exhibits, the new Museums of Black Civilisations is already capable of competing with the National Museum of African American History in Washington.

 

The exhibition halls include Africa Now, showcasing contemporary African art and The Caravan¹ and the Caravel, which tells the story of the trade in human beings – across the Atlantic and through the Sahara – that gave rise to new communities of Africans in the Americas.

 

These diaspora communities – such as in Brazil, the United States and the Caribbean – are recognized as African civilizations in their own right.

 

Since the museum could contain works owned by France since colonization², Senegal’s culture minister has called for the restitution³ by France of all Senegalese artwork on the back of a French report urging the return of African art treasures.

 

Apart from suffering from the negative consequences of colonialism, Africans have had to negotiate for the return of valuable historical cultural artifacts that were smuggled⁴ out of their countries.

 

These priceless monuments, which symbolize⁵ African identity are currently scattered⁶ across the world, with an impressive number in British and French Museums.

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