INTERVIEW WITH GHANA MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS BOARD (GMMB)

Led by Mr. Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Director of the GMMB, the delegation also included Mr. William Nsuiban Gmayi, in charge of external relations, and Ms. Akosua Buckmann, Director of the Accra Museum of Science and Technology.

1. The Musée d’Aquitaine, a museum of the city of Bordeaux, has been interested in a cooperation with Ghana and the GMMB since 2018, for obvious historical reasons related to the transatlantic slave trade. This cooperation is mentioned in its international strategy. How has this materialized so far?

Mr. Agyeman-Duah : Within the framework of existing economic and cultural relations between Ghana and France, the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) and the Musée d’Aquitaine wished to build on the shared history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade to develop joint projects and activities that will lead to a better understanding of the history and complexities of the past.
The two institutions have been conducting exchanges since 2018, when Ms. Katia Kukawka first visited the GMMB to familiarize herself with the institution and its operations. In return, Richard Ohene-Larbi, a staff member of the GMMB has completed a residency at the Musée d’Aquitaine in 2019. [NDR: A workshop on curating and international cooperations was also facilitated by the Musée d’Aquitaine in Ghana in May 2021]
It is hoped that this recent visit as part of the Sankofa project will lead to an agreement on specific projects.

2. You visited Bordeaux and the Musée d’Aquitaine from October 18-23, 2021. What were your expectations from this visit?

Mr. Agyeman-Duah : The program was interesting and our expectations were met.
In the museums and in the departmental archives, we expected to be confronted with daily data recounting events on the plantations where captives sold as slaves in the New World worked. Our expectations of the new ways of presenting these stories, adopted by the Musée d’Aquitaine, were met.

3. How can we strengthen this collaboration between Ghana and France in the areas of culture and heritage, and in particular between the GMMB and the Musée d’Aquitaine?

Mr. Agyeman-Duah : We have several ideas for projects on which the GMMB and the Musée d’Aquitaine can collaborate to strengthen the partnership between Ghana and France. The GMMB manages sites and spaces that served as the last points of departure for captives sold into slavery. These enslaved people suffered inhumane treatment in these spaces and these are the stories that are presented. Transatlantic passages/travel and life on plantations or in new worlds are absent from the narrative and we believe this is a key area where collaborations can be strengthened.

4. You have met with other institutions: the Bordeaux City Hall, the Departmental Archives, the Bordeaux Museum, the Regional Fund for Contemporary Art, the Sites&Cités association, the Institut des Afriques, MC2A, Cap’Sciences. What other possible projects have you discussed? What would it take to implement them?

Mr. Agyeman-Duah : The GMMB will continue to discuss and explore opportunities to work with the Institut des Afriques, for seminars/conferences and exchange programs that will focus on thematic art projects to be agreed upon by both parties in various fields (film, literature, music, etc.). The GMMB will work with the Institut des Afriques to develop other projects and will also explore the possibility of twinning cities such as Mfantsiman (with Anomabo in focus) with Bordeaux to explore and interpret the common heritage related to the transatlantic slave trade.
Cap’Science was a very interactive space and presented new ways to explore the scientific world and society in general.

5. What added value could these projects bring to French and Ghanaian organizations?

Mr. Agyeman-Duah : Sharing of expertise through training workshops, internships and capacity building programs in the areas of collection care, exhibition development, research and interpretation.