National Museum of Mali

Musée National du Mali is the archaeological and ethnographic National Museum of the Republic of Mali. It is located in the capital Bamako. It presents permanent and temporary exhibitions with a focus on the prehistory of Mali, as well as musical instruments, ritual objects, objects and clothing of the different ethnic groups in the country.

History

The history of the Museum began under French colonial administration and Sudanese museum and was part of the "Institut Français d' Afrique Noire " ( IFAN ) headed by Théodore Monod. The opening took place on 14 February 1953. Under the direction of Ukrainian archeologist Yuriy Shumovskyi that worked for nine years as an archaeologist in Mali, was a collection that represents more than half of today's 3,000 artifacts.

With the independence of the Republic of Mali in 1960, the Sudanese Museum to the National Museum of Mali with the new objectives of promoting national unity and paying tribute to the Malian traditional culture was. Due to the lack of financial resources and qualified personnel, the museum collections were neglected. 1966 moved to the National Museum to a new building, which was built by the architect Jean- Loup Pivin in traditional Malian design of a Lehmbaues with exhibition rooms, cafeteria and library.

Since the election of former archaeologist Alpha Oumar Konaré President of the Republic of Mali, the museum was honored in 1996 with significantly higher financing and became one of the most important museums in West Africa. Since 1994, the museum is also the venue of the Biennale " Rencontres africaines de la photographie ", an exhibition with exhibits of contemporary African photographers.

In the years 2001 to 2003, under the leadership of the museum director Samuel Sidibé, carried out major renovations and extensions. It was agreed in another a temporary exhibition hall, an outdoor area with reconstructed villages, technical and administrative premises and a complete restructuring of the museum. In 2006, the National Museum has been awarded in recognition of his efforts to the cultural heritage of the Prince Claus Award.

In June 2006, an agreement on cooperation with the " Aga Khan Trust for Culture " ( AKTC ) has been signed. The memorandum is intended among others, to provide the museum with a new information technology system, which allows a digital database of museum collections and digital archiving of images and sound recordings. The technical equipment, software and training are provided by the AKTC available.