Mali: Muso Kunda, a unique woman's museum in Bamako

Text by: Sabine Cessou Follow | Sabine Cessou Follow

Built in the heart of Bamako, the Women's Museum reopened in March 2019, but remains under construction. Its founder, the former First Lady of Mali and historian Adame Ba Konaré, endows her exemplary project with an additional floor and a themed hotel. Reportage.

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"Muso Kunda", "on the side of women" in kassonké, has become an institution in Bamako. Housed in a building in the popular district of Korofina North, in the heart of the city, this unique museum reopened in March 2019 .

Located opposite a large Place de la Commune 1 which serves as a soccer field, its ocher facade is decorated by a work by Burkinabè artist. The address is also known for its fresh bread and the pastries of its tea room, called "Faro", named after a female deity of waters, linked to the Niger River.

Housed in a villa that Adame Ba Konaré had first rented when she was the first lady of Mali, from 1992 to 2002, the Muso Kunda opened in 1995. At that time, it was an extension of a written book by the historian and wife of President Alpha Oumar Konaré, the Dictionary of Famous Women of Mali (Éditions Jamana, 1993). This place was also the materialization of a vision, launched as a manifesto at the entrance of the building, with the portraits and names of the women who fell during the bloody repression of March 26, 1991, the day of the fall of the dictatorial regime of Moussa Traore. This gallery corresponds to one of the four thematic pillars of the museum: the “woman's march”, in addition to her “image”, her “daily life” and her “cycle”.

Portraits of women from colonial times

In terms of images, the museum is generously served. The visit begins with two portrait rooms. We start from the beginnings of photography under the colonial era with portraits of women supposed to represent ethnic groups, under legends such as "Bambara type", "Arab woman" or "French Sudan: group of indigenous women". We then move on to the more joyful poses of the Independences, with photos of hairstyle styles whose names refer to the euphoria of the 1960s: "Saturday evening", "Olympic Games", "Mami Wata". Looking closely, we find the profile of Adame Ba Konaré herself, in 1974, with braids, "Year of the woman".

Another highlight of the show at the end of the visit: a costume room entirely dedicated to traditional outfits. “ We went through correspondents and acquaintances , specifies Adame Ba Konaré, to order outfits, which come from Ségou for the Bambara woman, from Mopti for the Fulani woman, etc. Jewels were given to us, in particular by a centenarian Senufo woman ”.

The models, original, present different profiles - and particularly successful - of Malian women. Their history is worth the detour. " I went around the alleys of the outskirts of Paris ," says Adame Ba Konaré, following addresses that I had been advised, but without finding any models. In the end, a North Korean company based in Bamako with particular expertise in statues, sculpted the models for me. The cult of personality that prevails in their country gives particular expertise in statues and models. I presented photos of women so that the artisans get closer to the canons of Mali. For two of the figures presented in the costume room, I amused myself by asking for the replica of two characters from a famous song, Yayoroba the opulent woman, and Pèguèlè the skinny . "

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Reopening in 2019

When Alpha Oumar Konaré completed his second term in 2002 and was appointed president of the African Union Commission, the couple left for Addis Ababa for five years. The museum, which already feels cramped, then closes and its collections are sheltered. Only one piece will be missing during the reopening: the giant statue of the Faro deity, also ordered from North Korean workers. Installed under an outdoor waterfall, it was broken during the renovation works.

Back in Bamako in 2008, Adame Ba Konaré reviewed the plans and enlarged the space by buying the villa and the house adjoining it. It makes them gain height, but the work, important, takes time. It is with the very discreet help of her son Birama Konaré, boss of the communication agency Binthily and founder of radio and television Djoliba, that Adame Ba Konaré will have the good surprise of coming to an end, for finally reopen in 2019.

Several rooms invite you to explore everyday instruments: kitchen utensils, wooden pancake pan, calabashes, etc. In a separate room, a "modern" dining room has been reconstructed, reminiscent of the 1980s, before returning to tradition and moving on to the rituals of marriage, added to the initial collection. The role of the “godmother” of the marriage is explained and a bridal chamber reconstituted, in the form of a small square cotton tent.

Tradition and modernity

The mixture of feminism and tradition is justified in clear terms by Adame Ba Konaré: “ The skills of women in everyday life are a plus, an advance they have. It is my choice to talk about it, and my deep thought of wanting to highlight the tradition ”.

This does not prevent the museum from embracing modernity and delivering a striking speech to denounce violence against women. A small screening room presents high-quality contemporary films on the rights of women and the violence against them. Three young filmmakers, selected by competition, present strong films that break taboos. The museum, designed to also be the "house" of women, has a "listening" room for those who feel the need.

Today housed on three floors with a documentation room, the museum will add a restaurant, a project that will highlight the culinary art of Mali, with 11 typical recipes. In its new form, Muso Kunda will also be a hotel, with around twenty rooms decorated to the taste of the ethnic groups of Mali and Africa. Its performance hall, called “Miriam Makeba”, already hosts ceremonies or seminars, which allows it two other conference rooms and its tea room to finance itself independently. In the museum shop, there are various Tuareg objects, bogolans and cushions, as well as shea butter, beauty products and incense prepared by Adame Ba Konaré herself. In short, this place represents a model, which one leaves by catching oneself in dreaming that it is replicated everywhere and not only in African capitals.

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