National Museum of Ghana
The National Museum, also known as the National Museum of Ghana, is a museum located in Accra, Ghana. Established in 1957, it is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum closed in 2015 for restoration until eventually reopening in 2022.
There are approximately 10,000 or more objects a part of the museum's collection. Objects of archaeology, ethnography as well as fine art are included in the museum. A library, a conservation laboratory, and an education hall can all be found in the museum.
History
The museum's collection originated in the anthropology museum at Achimota College, founded by Charles Thurstan Shaw. It hosted the first preservation of West African artefacts in the country. Its collection was later donated to the University of Ghana in 1940 before eventually residing in the national museum until its opening, although most of the objects were not transferred.The museum opened on 5 March 1957 right before Independence Day as part of Ghana's independence celebrations. The official opening was performed by Princess Marina. The Museum's first Director was A.W. Lawrence. The structure was a part of Nkrumah's campaign to raised nationalism and awareness upon the citizens of the new unified nation.
Architecture
The structure was built by the Gold Coast PublicWorks Department with help of British architects Denys Lasdun and Lindsay Drake. It is made out of concrete, with windows set in saw-toothed angles ninety degrees to the
outer wall. Going past the porte cochère is a low saucer-shaped aluminium dome above an ambulatory, which leads to the rest of the building.