A country seen through its heritage and inheritance

Undeniably, NMAG is multidisciplinary. It is constituted of the nation’s museum, the African Modern Art, the National Art Gallery, the Octagon Gallery, and the National Botanical Garden: here, representation is a broad church! But what has previously been a hub for daily visits by tourists, students, artists, residents and researchers, has remained closed for years as it has been the site of unending construction work.

With its shuttering on account of the current pandemic, followed by the country’s complete shutdown, and the eventual gradual reopening of many places of public convenience and interest, it is hard to imagine how visitors to this iconic place have fared or better still, if they have found an alternative location to visit. After all, NMAG has for decades served as a site for the interaction of its visitors with, and their appreciation of, our collective heritage and inheritance through some of this nation’s best visual arts and humanities.