The Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) (also colloquially known as The Africa Museum) is an ethnographical and natural history museum in Tervuren, near Brussels, Belgium. It was first built to showcase King Leopold II's Congo Free State for the 1897 World Exhibition.
It focuses on the Congo, a former Belgian colony. The sphere of influence however (especially regarding to biological research) extends to the whole Congo River basin, Middle Africa, East Africa and West Africa, but tries to integrate Africa as a whole. Intended originally as a colonial museum, from 1960 it became more focused on ethnography and anthropology. Like in most museums, there is a research and public exhibit department. Not all research is pertaining to Africa, for example the research on the archaeozoology of Sagalassos, Turkey. Some researchers have strong ties with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
From mid 2013, the Museum will be closed for renovation work (including the construction new exhibition space) which is expected to last until 2015.
Read more about Royal Museum For Central Africa: History, Controversy, Collections, Research, Miscellany, Gallery
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