Papaye n° 3
Manega Museum in the Burkina
Faso : When the private sector commits itself
Open
to the audience in January 1989, the Manega museum is a private initiative which
has committed itself in the safeguard of “ancient cultural, especially sacred
patrimony”.
by
Babacar
Established
in a rural area, the Manega museum is located about sixty km from Ouagadougou
city. In his will to glorify his identity in order to convince people in the
possibility to enrich humanity with cultural difference, a fellow Pacere Titinga
has set up this ethnographic museum.
With
a collection of about 11 000 objects composed
of “gift of holders anxious about the future of their faith and who
find in the museum a haven for the continuation of their life”. The
acquisition was also done by purchase, if we consider the objects related to the
uninitiated field.
Concerning
the traditional houses, an SOS has been sent to save some of them, and for their
edification in the museum according to the respect of traditions.
It
was during a travel that Mr Pacere remarked that many richly carved wooden
windows were extremely affected by time, human contacts and were replaced by
sheet metal. Manega museum doesn’t have any collecting team, any elaborated
collecting program.
However,
the collection is rich and various in the field of music, of gravestones’ make,
of domestic furniture. In the collection is also included traditional rifles,
bracelets and pegs, naturalized animals of graphical works and textiles.
The
objects are accompanied with documentary cards. The present state of the works
is not one of the best, there is often a problem of conservation due to the lack
of qualified staff. The staff has not been trained in museology, conservation.
Among
other difficulties, the Manega museum is facing budget problems.