The National Museum, also known as the National Museum of Ghana, is a museum located in Accra, Ghana. Established in 1957, it is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB).[2][1] The museum closed in 2015 for restoration until eventually reopening in 2022.[3]
 Inside view of the National Museum | |
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| Established | 5 March 1957 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2 Barnes Road, Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana |
| Coordinates | 5°33′37.5″N 0°12′23.1″W / 5.560417°N 0.206417°W |
| Type | Art museum National history museum |
| Collection size | approx. 10,000+ objects[1] |
| Architect | Denys Lasdun Lindsay Drake |
| Website | ghanamuseums.org  |
There are approximately 10,000 or more objects a part of the museum's collection. Objects of archaeology, ethnography as well as fine art are included in the museum. A library, a conservation laboratory, and an education hall can all be found in the museum.[4]
History
editThe museum's collection originated in the anthropology museum at Achimota College, founded by Charles Thurstan Shaw. It hosted the first preservations of West African artefacts in the country. Its collection was later donated to the University of Ghana in 1940 before eventually resided in the national museum until its opening, although most of the objects were not transferred.[1]
The museum opened on 5 March 1957 right before Independence Day as part of Ghana's independence celebrations. The official opening was performed by Princess Marina.[5] The Museum's first Director was A.W. Lawrence.[6] The structure was a part of Nkrumah's campaign to raised nationalism and awareness upon the citizens of the new unified nation.[7]
Architecture
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The structure was built by the Gold Coast Public Works Department with help of British architects Denys Lasdun and Lindsay Drake.[8] It is made out of concrete, with windows set in saw-toothed angles ninety degrees to the outer wall. Going past the porte cochère is a low saucer-shaped aluminium dome above an ambulatory, which leads to the rest of the building.[2]
Exhibits
editThe National Museum's exhibits focused on topics such as prehistoric Africa, Ghanaian culture, and African history, although it excluded any references to Ghana’s past that were problematic. Most of the objects are of Akan origin since much of the objects were found in commercial mining areas within the Akan territories.[4][7] In the 1990s, exhibits about the history of the transatlantic slave trade was added.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Ghee, B. (2015). "The Invaluable Institutional History: Ghana's National Museum from a Obroni Perspective". Public History Review. 22 (4): 38–55. doi:10.5130/phrj.v22i0.4781. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b Crinson, M. "Nation-building, collecting and the politics of display: The National Museum, Ghana". Journal of the History of Collections. 13 (2). doi:10.1093/jhc/13.2.231. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b Hove, J. (31 October 2022). "Ghana's National Museum: superb restoration but painful stories remain untold". The Conversation. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ a b "The National Museum, Accra (1957)". Ghana Museums & Monuments Board. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Osu Castle to be converted into presidential museum". Myjoyonline.com. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ R. M. Cook, ‘Lawrence, Arnold Walter (1900–1991)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2009
- ^ a b Dorine de, B. Building a Nation, Building a Museum. Arts and Culture (MA) (Thesis). Leiden University. hdl:1887/39815. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ Stanek, Ł. "Architects from Socialist Countries in Ghana (1957–67): Modern Architecture and Mondialisation". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 74 (4): 5. doi:10.1525/jsah.2015.74.4.416. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
...was added to the National Museum designed by Fry, Drew, Drake & Lasdun (1957)....
External links
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Media related to National Museum of Ghana at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
