GRIOTS REPUBLIC - AN URBAN BLACK TRAVEL MAG - OCTOBER 2016

ket next to the Royal Palace, a UNESCO
World Heritage site.
FAMED ART AND ART COLLECTORS
Avid collectors of African art learn two
facts. One, the famous animator, Walt
Disney, was an avid African art collector
and lured other collectors toward the
historic, spiritual and financial value
and prestige of African art and design.
Secondly, no major African art collection
is deemed complete without a fine art
piece from the Bamoun Kingdom. Even
the Chief Curator, Ms. Christine Mullen
Kreamer, of the Smithsonian National
Museum of African Art in Washington,
DC has publically shared special fondness
of a Bamuoun mask that was donated
by the private Walt Disney collection
into the Smithsonian’s permanent
collection.
NGOUON FESTIVAL
If the museum, ancestral reconnection
and an ancient Kingdom excites
you, Foumban will welcome you like the
thousands of visitors who come annually.
The Ngouon Festival celebrates and
exhibits Bamoun culture and tradition.
The next Ngouon will be held 4-9 December,
2016, but a visit any time is
worthwhile. The 2014 Ngouon Festival
was featured on CNN and is often referred
to as one of the Top 10 Festivals
in Africa by numerous travel sources.
Centered around the Royal Palace, the
Bamoun people, tourists and dignitaries
descend from all corners of the world.
A visit to Foumban will be memorable for
its art, culture and the nearly completed
façade of the museum. The Museum is
focusing on partnerships, conservation
and exhibit design. Completion is estimated
by Ngouon to be in 2018. Much
respect to an ancient dynasty for showcasing
and preserving the talents of its
people. And bravo to the young, ambitious
architect, Mr. Issofou Mbouombouo,
for his extraordinary design and
vision of the 19th King, whose museum
will marvel for the next 600 years.
Kelley Page Jibrell, Founder of Sachem Global,
is known as “The Visionary’s Change Agent.”
She is an award-winning global advisor to
leaders and organizations providing expertise
in strategy, collaboration and implementation
across five continents. Prof. Jibrell is Adjunct
Professor at Howard University teaching international
business to MBA candidates and contributes
to international publications.
www.sachemglobal.com
@AskProfDiva