Museums & history in West Africa

the long version

"Museums in West Africa have generally paid little attention to recent history, often acting more as warehouses for exotic, antique objects than as interpreters of contemporary events or family oral traditions. As institutions, they risk becoming irrelevant to the societies that support them." "Representing museums throughout western Africa, including those in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, twenty-four contributors argue that their institutions must become active, research-related centres capable of developing historical knowledge and communicating it locally. They urge museums throughout the sub-region to focus their collection building strategies, to use indigenous material culture, to research recent social and cultural changes, and to harness family histories in their efforts to convey their findings more fully and root their activities more firmly in their communities."--Jacket.