Why is Abidjan proud of its museum?

This is »one of the richest black art museums in the world« , said of him the former Senegalese president and connoisseur Leopold Sédar Senghor. Looted in March 2011, closed for the last two years, the Museum of Civilization in Abidjan reopened its doors last July after a major facelift.

This place in which one finds « immeasurable riches », in the words of Mr. Senghor during a visit to Côte d’Ivoire in 1971, has been revamped with modern rooms and lighting but also a conference space, a restaurant and an outdoor garden.

His first post-renovation exhibition, called « Renaissance », is a very dense selection of a hundred masterpieces from his important collection, ranging from Palaeolithic to contemporary art.

« We can consider ourselves lucky to have a beautiful collection that is a peculiarity of Côte d’Ivoire. It’s an asset. A collection of 15,000 pieces from all regions« , underlines the director of the museum, Silvie Memel Kassi, still shocked by the looting in 2011.

This had taken place during the anarchy that reigned during the post-electoral crisis (3,000 deaths).

« It really left us with a bitter taste, because the (120) plundered works are major works: sacred pieces, wax objects…. »she explains. « We even made a cash estimate: nearly four billion CFA francs (6 million euros) » were lost.

History and contemporary 

The museum is also planning an exhibition in the coming months entitled « The Ghost Collection », based on photographs and pieces similar to the missing pieces, so as not to forget. And, underlines Silvie Memel Kassi, to « think about how to strengthen the fight against illicit trafficking » in historical coins, a market financed by many private collectors who often have little regard for origins.

Founded in 1942 by France, the former colonial power, the Abidjan Museum is itself a work of art, with its 20 carved wooden pillars.

However, it does not live in the past, giving pride of place to contemporary creations with a room dedicated to contemporary artists such as Jems Koko Bi (photo opposite) and a garden with recent works.

«  It is by design that we speak of a museum of civilizations« , notes its director, stressing that the works »anciennes » emanate from artists who, in their time, could be considered as modern.

Today, »we are experiencing a rebirth (of the arts) at the national level, » she says. And in this museum, » we have both the ancient aspect with the museum collections, and contemporary art with the creation of young visual artists. »

The Abidjan Museum is also preparing an exhibition showing the links between Picasso and Ivorian sculptures, in the wake of « Picasso Primitif » from the Jacques Chirac Museum on Quai Branly in Paris.

Since its reopening in July, it has attracted a little over 10,000 visitors but expects to increase this number tenfold in one year, thanks in particular to tourists, who are returning to the country after a decade of political crisis and insecurity, and thanks to an active policy towards schools and students.

« This museum is also the memory of a people, » says Ms. Memel Kassi. « It is important to make Ivorians discover it. »