The heat of the Congo in Brussels
Brussels has a reputation as a rather staid city, steeped in history, fine cuisine and European politics, but not exactly exotic. Tomas Mowlam finds a substantial slice of tropical Africa in amongst the bustle of the Belgian capital.
The Royal Museum for Central Africa (Musee Royal de l’Afrique Centrale in French, or Koninklijk Museum voor Midden Africa in Dutch) is one of the best European museums dedicated to Africa, and probably the largest collection of Central African artefacts.
The vast area of Central Africa contains jungles, exotic wildlife, the remains of ancient civilisations and heartbreaking stories of war and exploitation. Verdant and vibrant, it’s a fascinating region.
Now is one of the best times to visit the museum; the end of April this year is the centenary anniversary of the museum and there’s a whole raft of new exhibitions to celebrate. The Congo River is a huge exhibition dedicated to the 4700km long, twisting river which gives the country its name and its life.
It’s also the last chance to see Ungayithenga inhlizyo mongo wami, loosely translated as you can buy my heart and soul; they are beautiful sculptures of elephants made from recycled timber, by the artist Andries Botha.
To say the museum has a collection doesn’t really do it justice; there are over 10 million (albeit preserved) animals, 180,000 different objects, like masks, tools and weapons, 20,000 maps and 8,000 musical instruments.
Under the direction of King Leopold I, from 1885 Belgium seized the largest of all European colonies in Africa – the Congo. Belgian rule was brutal and the Congo was exploited for ivory and then for rubber and minerals.
Virtually all the objects here were collected between 1885 and 1960, by soldiers, explorers, traders, missionaries and scientists.
The museum has great guided tours, music workshops and special activities for kids. At time of writing these included Insects of Africa – guaranteed to thrill kids fascinated by creepy crawlies, Elephants – dedicated to one of Africa’s iconic animals as well as storytelling tours, and percussion workshops.
Open Tuesday to Friday until 10am until 5pm and on the weekends until 6pm. Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080 Tervuren.
You can get to Belgium with P&O Ferries using the Hull – Zeebrugge route, or alternatively via Dover to Calais from where it is just a short drive along the E40 to the Belgian border. Prices start at just £30 for a car and up to nine people.
Image Credit:l.deleze
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