AFRICAN MUSEUMS TODAY & TOMORROW

28 – 30 January 2025 | Auditorium, Louvre Abu Dhabi

France Muséums produced African Museums Today & Tomorrow for Louvre Abu Dhabi, a three-day symposium bringing together over 30 institutions from the African continent and museum and culture professionals from around the world to discuss the evolving role of museums on the continent.

This symposium was a key milestone in Louvre Abu Dhabi’s commitment to museum research and cross-cultural dialogue, coinciding with the opening of Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power, the museum’s first major exhibition dedicated to African heritage.

Building lasting collaborations and future perspectives

The symposium featured leading figures from cultural institutions, including museum directors, researchers, artists, and heritage professionals from across the African continent.

This symposium laid the groundwork for an ongoing dialogue between African museums and Louvre Abu Dhabi, reflecting a shared commitment to reimagining the future of museums.

The symposium proceedings will soon be published, ensuring that these discussions live on and continue to inspire further collaboration, allowing the symposium’s legacy to grow and evolve.

a look back at the programme themes

The symposium programme was structured around three major theme:

Day 1 | How can the museum be relevant to society

• Changing narratives: Rethinking how collections are interpreted to move away from colonial-era frameworks and create inclusive and community oriented narratives.
• Involving youth: Exploring how museums can attract and involve a new generation of visitors and professionals, ensuring their relevance for the future.

Day 2 | How museums impact surrounding communities

• Collections, transmission, connections: Examining how museums can responsibly manage and interpret collections to benefit local communities.
• Relocating research: Discussing ways to develop research programmes within Africa to enrich collections and redefine museum narratives.

Day 3 | How African museums relate to global issues

• International partnerships: Rethinking cross-border collaborations to foster meaningful cooperation while respecting cultural specificities.
• Contemporary art in museums: Showcasing how museums support contemporary African artists and position themselves within global cultural networks.

Creating and organising compelling public programmes and conferences

As the executive producer of the symposium, France Muséums delivered: curatorial vision and subject expertise, program development, and project and logistics management. In more detail:

• Curatorial design: Defining key themes, structuring the programme, and shaping the content
• Curating the speaker lineup: Identifying and inviting leading experts, museum directors, researchers, and artists
• Comprehensive logistics management: Handling speaker travel, accommodation, and on-site coordination
• Auditorium logistics: Managing technical and logistical setups in collaboration with the museum’s teams.
• Event execution and rehearsal: Overseeing the sessions, producing all visual and conference materials to support discussions and ensuring seamless transitions between panels.