The Dogon doors
Carved granary doors.
HaguardDuNord (talk) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · HaguardDuNord (talk) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · HaguardDuNord (talk) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · HaguardDuNord (talk) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · HaguardDuNord (talk) — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Théodore Monod African Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in West Africa, in central Dakar. It is part of the Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire and shows work from many countries of the region. The building is quiet and modest in size, but its masks, instruments and tools give a broad picture of traditional arts. The institute was founded in 1936 and passed to Cheikh Anta Diop University in 1960. President Léopold Senghor was a leading supporter of the museum, which long went by the institute's name. In December 2007 it took its current title, after the French naturalist Théodore Monod, a former director of the institute. The display includes carved granary doors and a wooden ladder of the Dogon people, dance crests from Mali, large masks with interlaced forms and another hung with plant fibres. You will also see a wooden balafon, an instrument much like a xylophone. The pieces stand in a spacious white hall, so it is easy to get close and see the detail of the carving. The Museum of Black Civilisations is about 2 km away in a straight line, so the two fit into one day. Labels are mostly in French, so take a guide if you do not read it. Opening days can change and it may close on Mondays, so call before going. Ask before photographing in the halls.
Carved granary doors.
Large interlaced forms.
A wooden instrument.
Place Soweto, Dakar, Senegal
Yes, an hour is usually enough, as the museum is more or less one main hall.
Mostly few, so a guide or a phone translation will help.
