This is the story of a very small museum, located in the village of Mlomp, in Casamance, in the south of Senegal. In 1992, a man began to collect traditional objects from his village, to display them: tools for growing rice, catching fish, but also fetishes, or even the telephone drum which was used to pass messages to neighbors. From this project was born the Museum of Diola Culture, the oldest exhibition venue in the Ziguinchor area.
From our correspondent returning from Mlomp,
« Here you have the pot », designed Laurent Sambou, guide to the Mlomp museum. «ÂThe Diola did not have a fridge, but he could keep his fish for one or two weeks“, he confides. Under a thatched roof pierced in the center to let in light and rainwater, Laurent guides a few tourists through this traditional impluvium hut. Welcome to the Diola Culture Museum.
From a terracotta jar to turtle shell shields used in battles against the colonizer, including a fish trap made from woven palm leaves, Binta, who came from Dakar for the holidays, has never seen anything like this: “It’s exceptional because we are Sereres and Lébous, and it’s good to discover this other part of the Sénégal and its culture.» Around fifty everyday objects tell the story of the Diola way of life and beliefs dating back more than a century.
At the origin of this museum, more than 30 years ago, a resident of Mlomp: “My name is Jules Sambou. I created the museum with renier palm leaves. Thanks to a collection, I was able to build an impluvium hut.“At the time, in 1992, Senegal hosted the African Cup of Nations. Jules Sambou wants to take advantage of this to create a special place, and try to bring in tourists, while Casamance is going through a period of intense armed conflict between the Senegalese army and the MFDC independence movement: “I simply exhibited some traditional everyday items and favorite objects. At the beginning, the search for objects was difficult, but today, around forty are presented : everyday objects already used in the time of our ancestors, more than 100 years ago. »
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In 2016, the Case à impluvium suffered a storm and deteriorated. Until the Foundation of the Housing Bank of Senegal decided to renovate the building in 2023 and review the promotion of the objects exhibited by the families of the village. Alyssa Barry, heritage architect, remembers: “The objects were placed on the ground, they gathered dust, there was no explanation as to what these objects represented. Our job was therefore to rethink the scenography. »
Now panels explain the use and to which family the spears or outfits on display belong. These objects were grouped by theme: musical instruments, agricultural tools, weapons, or even spiritual objects.
Since the renovation, a 400-page guest book has already been filled out, a record of the passage of thousands of tourists through this traditional hut located on the village’s royal public square, under the giant cheese makers.
Also readCasamance, historical itinerary of an idea of autonomy
