Musée de Gaoua, Ethnographic museum in Gaoua, Burkina Faso.
Musée de Gaoua is an ethnographic collection with around one thousand objects from southwestern Burkina Faso, including pottery, weapons, and items used in ritual practices. The display spreads across four rooms and shows these pieces alongside historical photographs.
The building itself dates back to 1920 as part of the French colonial administration. Its conversion into a museum happened in 1990 with support from French cooperation and UNESCO specialists.
The rooms show how the Lobi people organized their daily routines, ceremonies, and relationships with ancestors through the objects they made and used. You can observe how crafts, spiritual beliefs, and family life were woven together in this society.
The museum is located on a hill in Gaoua, not far from the governor's office. The town sits in the southwestern part of the country, relatively close to the borders with Ivory Coast and Ghana, which can make travel from outside more convenient.
A special area displays an altar dedicated to fallen war veterans of the Lobi, documenting the sacrifices the community made in armed conflicts. This memorial reveals how closely beliefs about spirits intertwine with remembering the dead.
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