Afrikamuseum

Afrikamuseum offers a fascinating journey into the lives of ancient African tribes with around 800 exhibits from art and ethnography: from ebony carvings and animal horns to weapons and shields as well as ceramics.

Special highlights include ancestral statues, dance masks, and short weapons often used as symbols of rank or chieftainship – not merely as weapons. Particularly striking are the large red and black painted body sculptures of the Yoruba, noted for their weight and dance technique.

• Masks, drums, and ceremonial knives from the Grasslands region of Cameroon featuring the cultures of Bamum, Bamileke, and Tikar.

• A rare large carved drum body from the Bamileke and intricately decorated ancestral figures from Bamun/Fumban.

• A rare old dance mask from the Songye secret society 'Kifwebe' as well as colorful dance masks of the Tshokwe.

• Large ivory-carved horns and wooden drums from the Kuba area in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

• Interactive experiences like playing a large hand drum of the Tonga from Zimbabwe.

• Various ancestral figures and masks from different cultures such as Bembe, Sukuma, Dogon, and Ibo highlight artistic diversity.

• Culturally significant and striking Dogon masks 'kanaga' and 'sirige', including a large 3.5-meter tall dance mask.

• An impressive variety of spears from Congo, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic decorate the walls.

• Rare intercultural finds such as crossbows from pygmy tribes in Gabon and Cameroon that raise ethnological questions.