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Notice of Temporary Closure of the Museum of African Art

Please be informed that the Museum of African Art will be temporarily closed to visitors from 12 October to 1 November 2026 due to building maintenance works aimed at improving conditions for the preservation and display of museum collections, as well as enhancing the visitor experience.

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you back!

For all questions and information we are at your disposal by landline +381 11 2651654 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

SWAHILI • autumn language workshops

On November and December, the Museum of African Art organizes the Swahili Autumn Language Workshops for adults (16+), guided by Marija Panić, PhD, Benjamin Towett Chemarum and Ivana Vojt.

Autumn workshops last from November 1st to December 27th 2026.

The workshops are intended for beginners and people who already speak Serbian.

Eventually, each student will be qualified for basic communication in Swahili.

KANGA – THE TALKIN CLOTHS

Castle of Culture (Zamak kulture)

30 September – 25 November 2026

Exhibition opening: 30 September 2026 at 2 p.m.

The exhibition Kanga - The Talkin Cloths, created by the Museum of African Art in Belgrade, will be on view at the Castle of Culture in Vrnjačka Banja throughout October and November this year. This presentation is organised in collaboration with the Cultural Centre of Vrnjačka Banja.

The exhibition is dedicated to kanga cloths—industrially produced fabrics in vibrant colours, with striking patterns and aphoristic sayings in Kiswahili. Kangas have been used in women’s clothing in East Africa for nearly 150 years, and have evolved into a ubiquitous symbol of Swahili culture. The display explores the various meanings and uses of kanga textiles, from their historical emergence as symbols of emancipation and modernity, through their communicative function within the “women’s domain,” to their contemporary reinterpretations in politics, ritual life, fashion, art and cultural practices.

The exhibition features original textiles from Kenya, Tanzania and the Republic of South Africa, fashion designs by Tanzanian designers Farouque Abdela and Christine Mhando, and paintings by Tanzanian artist Iddi Mikidadi Bush. The installation is complemented by a 13-minute documentary The Kanga Talks, based on the exhibition author’s research visit to Tanzania (Stone Town and Dar es Salaam) in September and October 2024.

Exhibition author: Aleksandra Bojović, Senior Curator

MAU DIGITAL IMPRINT

The project of digitally recording the permanent display and whole Museum of African Art (MAU) building was conducted in several stages over the course of 2015, 2021 and 2022, with the aim of creating a so-called digital imprint as form of cultural heritage preservation. In light of the announced reconstruction of the Museum, by mapping all relevant data, we wanted to create lasting documentation of the initial architecture, as well as the concept of the first permanent display of the MAU. Recording the space and exhibition setting of the Museum using the most current technology and translating the data into a digital impression will make them permanently accessible to all future researchers and other interested parties, even when they cease to exist in their current state.

We invite you to actively explore our new online presentation www.otisak.mau.rs. Enjoy panoramic virtual walks through the museum, encounter the permanent display, museum garden or murals painted onto the façade, and investigate the many contents regarding exhibited pieces and collecting trajectories. Go back to 1977 and read about some of the impressions at the time of the opening of this lasting symbol of Non-Aligned times – a museum created on the grounds of friendship and sincere support of the peoples of Africa, and admiration for the power of their artistic expression.