“Museum of Africa” as a Room for Legitimizing the Colonial and Post-Colonial Power

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present museums and exhibitions in Africa as part of a European cultural policy towards Africa as well as a room for legitimizing the colonial and post-colonial power. Initially, the historical background of the birth of the African museums and their development, both in colonial and post-colonial times, is presented. Next, the present state of the African museums and the perspectives of their revitalization are analyzed. The ideas of modern and socially engaging museums, together with the concept of local museums, are the key issues in the analysis of the postcolonial African museology. The postcolonial theory constitutes an important point of reference for the diagnosis and conclusions in the paper.