Niamey: Museum like a palace

A museum can be a lovely fun filled environment, devoid of shadows or what is dour. Niamey makes this point in a beautiful way. The landscape which rises and falls helps to create this impression. You move from one nicely designed building to the next, and each building seems to have its own special way […]

A museum can be a lovely fun filled environment, devoid of shadows or what is dour. Niamey makes this point in a beautiful way. The landscape which rises and falls helps to create this impression. You move from one nicely designed building to the next, and each building seems to have its own special way of greeting you, given the designs on the outside, which seem quite happy. Then there are stirring designs on the walls of the many buildings present, and all of these make up the museum.
Apart from the designs the buildings present elaborate craftsmanship on their tops, which remind the visitor of some royal buildings in northern Nigeria. If you visit this season, you will find that a fresh coat of paint has been applied to the buildings, which are decorated with the best of traditional architecture, making every where look very new and fresh.Most people expect a museum to look old and boring, but this one impresses with its joyful royal atmosphere.
The Boubou Hamma Musée Niamey is a huge contradiction, for it goes against the expectation that the museum should be old, and that it should bore. This is a fresh useful development. There are two basic colours here, and these are white and blue.

Amanda Gavin writing in Niger in miniature states “Its founders intended for the museum to portray a miniature portrait of Niger, and simultaneously to anchor the new national capital, Niamey.”
The royal complexion of the museum is also supported by the section which houses artisans of multiple talents who are skilled in producing gold and silver objects. In this section there is a permanent glow and glitter. The museums 100 million year old skeleton of a dinosaur, adds to the impression of a palace, because it’s a relic of quite royal status among those who are keen on ancient remains. Within this palace-like environment are housed many aspects of Nigerienne life, culture and history.
In addition, there is an exhibition on  Uranium mining, as well as oil  exploration in the country. Niamey’s museum with the look and attributes  of a palace, is a celebration of much of the country’s past as well as its present.