The Regional Museum of the Kingdom of the Kongo in northern Angola is looking to rebuild its collection, much of it lost during decades of civil war or currently exhibited in other countries.
The museum closed in 1982, seven years after the outbreak of the war, which consumed the country until 2002. Director Avelino Manzueto explained that it “lost many pieces due to the war and was left in a state of abandonment” until it finally reopened in 2007. Once boasting a collection of more than 2,000 artefacts, the museum now holds only 105 pieces. Manzueto said they’ve already located some artefacts overseas, as well as literary works and art, that could contribute to a renewed collection.
A strategy is being developed through cultural representatives in countries like Brazil and Belgium to sign agreements so that the objects can be identified. Original pieces might be returned or replicas made and sent to Angola.
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At its height, the Kingdom of the Kongo stretched from what is now Gabon, down through the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and into northern Angola, home of the capital Mbanza Kongo. That is where the museum now stands, housed in the former royal palace at the heart of Angola’s only UNESCO World Heritage site, which also includes a dozen churches, convents, schools and residences alongside archaeological excavation sites.
The sheer scope of the kingdom is what motivated the museum – then known as Museum of the Kings of the Congo – to change its name last November, reflecting its cultural significance to the broader region. The Museum of the Kingdom of the Kongo attracted 7,420 visitors in 2023 from countries including Portugal, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Zambia and the two Congos.
In addition to bolstering the collection to attract more tourists, Manzueto aims to strengthen human resources and develop strategies to possibly build a new museum, a joint project “based on the pillars of the three Congos” involving specialists from various countries.
