Horniman Musuem

Artefact:An artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human. In archaeology, an artifact is an object recovered by some archaeological endeavor, which may have a cultural interest. (wikipedia.com)


I recently visited the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill to view their vast collection of different artifacts and art pieces from around the world. The Horniman prides itself in having different pieces from all around the globe, ranging from Musical instruments from South Africa to an imitation of the extinct Dodo, it caters for all ages and even includes a small aquarium with an arrangement of fantastical fish.
The collection I was most interested at the time was the whole room collection of African history, the room featured different artifacts from Egyptian tombs to witchdoctor voodoo, it was the first exhibition dedicated to the African world and culture bringing together such a variety of different pieces there's always something to look at. In term of representing the whole continent of Africa is does it fair respectfully, there is a rich mixture, and the collection does not just focus on one particular part or tradition from Africa, related cultures such as Brazil and Trinidad are also featured.


Highlights include the bronze masks from Benin, a topic which was focused on in lectures and how this small piece of African history has been lost from its founding people to be stolen/taken and transported back to the Western world to be sold and shown off, how the classification of what these pieces are have created hierarchy and rivalry between different groups of people. Is it right to take such celebrated and ritual pieces for the African World and to put them into an entirely different context by housing them in our museums?