Interview w/ the Curator of Africa's first digital museum

________________________________________________________________________ In this interview Babacar Mbow, the Convener of the Curatorial Board of The Pan African Heritage Museum tells journalists Erica Ayisi about the launch of a series of virtual exhibitions taking place on 05 May 2022 even before the construction of the physical museum building is completed in 2023. He talks about how the Digital Museum will enable visitors to the website to see the vibrant, thematic threads and influences binding African communities to each other and cutting across the artificial boundaries created by colonial conquest. The innovative exhibitions provide immersive, interactive experiences through a combination of 3D imagery, texts, voice overs and video. The exhibitions are based on a wide variety of Pan African artifacts, written, oral, and expressive sources. Specifically, the exhibitions will explore the following themes. 1. The Origin of Humanity What was it about Africa that made it possible for humans to emerge as a species on this continent? In this exhibition, based on archeological research, visitors will see archeological renderings of the first humans who walked on earth around 3.6 million years ago and witness the evolution of our species, Homo Sapiens (meaning wise man.) 2. African Civilizations – Granaries of Memory What is the purpose of art? Why and how did humanity find it important to create art from the very start of our existence in Africa? The answer lies in an exploration of the art of African civilizations from Egypt to the kingdoms of Nubia and Kush, Benin, Congo, Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Zulu, Asante, Lori, and the Munhumutapa. In this multimedia, immersive tour,visitors will experience the archeological detective work that went into an examination of expressions of art such as masks and statuaries, maps and archival documentation that led experts to conclude that the origins of art can be traced to a belief by all African cultures in the idea of one God or Supreme Deity. 3. Contemporary Pan Africa: Visual Expressions in the Pan African World. In the third gallery visitors will explore the major contemporary works of art produced by Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora which reveal the lines of continuity amongst modern artists of the Pan African world. Part Two of the exhibition will be launched on August 30, 2022. This will include the following : 1. Africa’s contributions to sciences and technologies 2. Migrations and the making of the Pan African world 3. The Narratives of Resistance, Rebellions, Revolution and Liberation 4. The Pan Africanists from 1900 View these exhibitions on @ www.pahmuseum.org Issued by the Communication Department of Pan African Heritage World Contact: [email protected] Pan African Heritage Museum - PAHM www.pahmuseum.org | [email protected] Follow FB/IG/YT/TW @pahmuseum #PAHMuseum #PAHM #PanAfricanMuseum #DiasporaNews #DiasporaConnect #PanAfricanism #UbuntuMuseum