Located in Bamako, the National Museum of Mali is the second largest museum in Africa, after the one in South Africa. Inspired by the Sudanese style buildings of Djenne, it is an architectural success. It houses, on 1,700 m2, magnificent collections of art and ethnographic objects from Mali. You will find three permanent exhibitions that will allow you to better understand the diversity of Malian culture.
The first exhibition room, "Millennium Mali", here you will be dazzled by the archaeological collections, which result from the excavations carried out in the country since the 1950s. Thus you will discover, in addition to prehistoric and tellem objects, the superb terracotta statuettes of Djenné and its region.
Then in the second exhibition room you will discover the traditional sculptures (statuettes and masks of the Dogon, Bamanan, Senoufo, Bwa, etc...) which are most often made in an initiatory context whose rituals punctuate the life of the individual and society. A guide will give you more information about the role of these objects.
In the third room, you will be dazzled by the remarkable remarkable exhibition of both old and new textiles, which gives an idea of the weaving and dyeing traditions in use in Mali.
The museum often hosts temporary exhibitions, it also organizes film screenings, workshops, musical activities every Thursday from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, admission is free...
The National Museum of Mali is open every day, except Monday from 9am to 6pm. Closed on September 22nd, December 25th, New Year's Day, during Tabaski and Ramadan holidays, May 1st.