From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:CULTURE: African immigrants in Paris using art as integration tool
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 07:27:59 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Asia, southern
Title: CULTURE: African immigrants in Paris using art as integration tool


an inter press service feature

by barbara borst

paris, dec 2 (ips) -- the museum of african and oceanic arts
(maao) is to get a facelift. but its new image will not only to be
its physical structure; the paris museum is adapting and reacting
to the changing times.

cecil guitard, the new conservator of the museum of african and
oceanic arts, said he envisions not only renovating the building
and its collections but also changing its relations with
universities in france and museums in africa.

''the past is a bit encumbering,'' he said. ''the colonial era
has given way to a dialogue of cultures. this museum should be a
partner with countries of the south.''

museum professionals have welcomed the proposed changes at the
maao.

valerie chieze of the international council of museums, said most
museums in the north need to rethink their approach and to
emphasise culture, not just art. maao ''must not become the centre
of a network, but part of a continuous network of partners with
african museums'', she added.

a united nations, educational, scientific and cultural
organisation (unesco) specialist in this field said the french
have donated ''considerable'' funds to support african arts maybe
to ''compensate'' for the fact that in recent times, paris and
other western european capitals have diverted aid and investment
to eastern europe.

the maao, located on the eastern edge of paris, was designed in
1912 as a pavilion for colonial exhibition, rather than as a
museum. everything about it seems decades out of date, from the
voluminous but sterile entrance hall to the murals depicting the
colonies' contributions to the metropole.

by contrast, beautiful moroccan carpets and algerian jewellery
are displayed with little information as to how they were made or
used. bark paintings, dugout canoes, masks and statues elicit
admiration but little understanding from the casual visitor.
contemporary art is confined to a small area.

guitard said the first steps of the transformation include
renovating the building, re-deploying exhibition space,
cataloguing and restoring the collections, and developing a new
administrative structure.(more/ips)

culture: african immigrants in paris using art as integration too(2-e)

culture: african (2)

but the work is to go beyond that to a re-orientation of the
museum toward research and contemporary african and oceanic arts.
it will become a teaching centre in cooperation with the institute
of african studies that links french universities.

''we want to develop a programme for conservators of museums of
civilization. they train more for the fine arts. we're not a fine
arts museum,'' guitard said. intellectually, the maao might be
described as somewhere between a fine arts and an anthropological
museum; it selects objects for both artistic merit and the
cultural information they convey.

as one of the national museums of france, the 61-year-old maao,
which derives its operating budget from the state, has been
allocated 100 million francs (20 million dollars) for renovations.

guitard is gathering a mix of public, private and corporate funds
to finance expositions -- an unusual move in france that he says
will give the museum greater flexibility. ''we want to create a
cultural environment with theatre, music, films and conferences,''
he said.

the first events opened in october with african story telling,
films and exhibits of art from ethiopia, contemporary sculpture
from gabon, and the display for the first time of polynesian arts.

chieze said maao can ''play a role in the integration of
africans in french society'' and become ''a partner with african
museums against racism''.

the changes at the paris museum actually parallel a new thinking
among african museum professionals. samuel sidibe, director of the
national museum of mali, said he hopes that french and african
museums will become equal partners because ''we need to change on
both sides''.

sidibe said that african museum -- most built during the colonial
era -- must be more reflective and responsive to their cultures,
otherwise they ''might well transmit to africans an external idea
of their own culture''.

the museum of mali offers videos about the techniques of making
the objects displayed and the ceremonies in which they are used.
several countries have cooperated to produce an exhibit on the
niger river valley, which will come to maao next year, using
archaeological information to set objects in a cultural context.

sidibe said he tries to involve the museum in current issues,
using exposure to other cultures to unify the diverse peoples of
his country and to strengthen their ties with other countries and
cultures in the region. a current exhibit reflects on the turmoil
last year in mali that helped create a more democratic government.

guitard too said he wants maao to cooperate with african museums
as they redefine their roles and to become an important symbol for
the 1.7 million west and north africans immigrants in france,
while at the same time gaining french respect for their
cultures.(end/ips/ce/bb/cpg/92)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african