A visit to the Museum of African Art in Belgrade, Serbia

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing great. Today I am going to share with you an amazing experience of visiting the Museum of African Art in Belgrade.

A few days before New Year's Eve, my aunt wanted to surprise my son and gave him tickets to the Museum of African Art. My son likes museums and also likes to play chess, so this was a great opportunity to learn something about Africa, but also to try African chess - mancala, for the first time.

The Museum of African Art is the first and only museum in the region dedicated to the culture and art of the African continent. It has existed for 40 years and is of great importance in promoting cultural diversity.

When we entered the courtyard of the museum, our attention was drawn to a house with a thatched roof, a replica of a house that exists in Africa. From that moment on, we felt as if we were already in Africa and started exploring.

The way we represent things influences the ideas we have about the world. An interesting fact is that many map projections show Africa disproportionately smaller than it really is.

At the entrance to the museum, there is an interactive exhibit and suggestions for map projections, so you can create your own map and choose how you will present the world.

My son was delighted with the boat that was also on display at the entrance.

The museum curator told him to read the inscription on the boat and he was very proud of himself when he did. 😊

We learned that the inscription means "no man survives alone". Community plays a very important role in African peoples. There is no food for one man in the village.

My first impression is that many exhibits symbolize both a man and a woman, thus emphasizing the importance of community, which is necessary for survival. Everyone has an equally important role in society in order for society to survive.

While looking at the exhibits, one particularly intrigues you, and that is the beaked bird of the Senufo people from the Ivory Coast.

This bird has the elements of man, woman and child and symbolizes the family which is very important and honored. They kept it in the sacred forest where ritual dances were performed. They believed that the presence of the spirit is greatest during dancing and that dancing is very important and necessary for an individual to join society.

During the dancing, various masks were worn, which played a very important role in the life of African peoples. The mask symbolizes the wisdom of the spirit, its positive as well as negative power. Imaginative ideas and multiple purposes of the mask created different artistic achievements in its creation.

The mask of the Senufo people that was used for the most dangerous dance is the aggressive "fire spitter" mask. This mask symbolizes caution because it has two heads and can see danger from all sides. During the dancing, the dancer was not allowed to touch anyone else and handled the torch well, creating the impression that he was spitting fire.

Masks were mostly made and worn by men, but there were masks that symbolized women, such as the mask Nimba of the Baga people.

The masks we saw in the museum are truly amazing. There were a lot of big and heavy ones that were worn during the performance of the dance and it is really admirable the skill of the African people to dance wearing them.

Many of them contain combined human and animal elements.

The boss mask from Zaire, today's Congo, particularly appealed to my son. 😊

Masks were extremely important in the lives of the Dan and Gere peoples. They had a protective role, but also the role of judges, tax collectors and initiators of war.

My son was also fascinated by the tall wooden masks used during dance by the Bambara and Dogon people.

Music and dance are an integral part of life in Africa. They sing and dance on every occasion, during work and important life events. Music and mask are closely connected in a unique whole. Musical instruments are simple, made of natural materials and come in countless varieties.

We also saw a lot of interesting ritual figures and objects that were used in everyday life.

In the end, my son had the opportunity to try playing African chess - mancala for the first time and he received one as a gift from my aunt.

It was a very interesting visit and we went home richer in knowledge about amazing Africa.

Thank you very much for reading.

The images and writing are original and mine.

Greetings!

Jelena