Museum of African Art | Museums in Serbia

The Museum of African Art is located in Senjak, Belgrade, and as the name suggests, it is dedicated to African art. It is the first and only anti-colonial museum in Europe.

The original permanent exhibition of the museum has been in existence for over four decades, and the exhibited objects mainly come from western parts of Africa, primarily from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Mali.

Since its opening in May 1977, the museum has displayed the private collection of the founders of this cultural institution. The Museum of African Art was established by Veda Zagorac and Zdravko Pečar, a married couple who spent many years on a diplomatic mission in Ghana and Mali during the time of the "old" Yugoslavia.

When the couple returned to their homeland, they made all the items they received as gifts in Africa available to the people of Belgrade. Unlike other European museums where the exhibited objects were mostly acquired through confiscation in their African colonies, this museum is unique on the Old Continent because its permanent exhibition is exclusively composed of gifts.

These are authentic objects that belonged to the Mòsi, Kisi, Bobo, Akan, Dogon, Marka, Baga, Senufo, Baule, and other peoples. Ceramics, sculptures, dolls, and masks make up the permanent exhibition and represent decorations in the form of humans or animals.

The antelope symbol is Valu, a mask designed by the Dogon people to preserve the memory of the antelope that successfully protected the Sun during the creation of the world. During the Dogon dance, the dancers wear the mask and imitate the antelope's final steps.

To pay homage to their Dogon ancestors, the dancers wear the Kanaga mask, which has the shape of a double cross. These masks are very rare, and one of them is the mask of the Baule people, symbolizing the Sun.

In addition to masks, dolls were also used during the dances. In Mali, the dolls are worn above the head, and the dancers are usually dressed in costumes. The Great Ancestor doll is used to honor young women in Mali.

The museum also features replicas of certain dolls for visitors to try on. Through these dolls, the Bamana people express pride in the identity of hardworking farmers.

Dolls, masks, ceramics, or sculptures contain decorations that are mainly in the form of animals or humans. The museum also exhibits fabrics that once adorned the walls of rulers in Benin. They symbolize the rule of different rulers from one dynasty. Among the relief decorations on the walls of the royal court, you can find the same motifs of birds with drums, nets, and fleeing sharks.

Shells are also on display in this cultural center, and they symbolize fertility, means of payment, and wealth.

The Museum of African Art is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm. The ticket price is a symbolic 200 dinars, while pensioners can purchase tickets with a 50% discount. Admission is free for children, students, and people with disabilities.