ABSTRACT
The National Museum of Ghana (NMG) was opened on March 5, 1957, at the dawn of Ghana's political independence. Its establishment was the result of British colonial efforts dating to the early twentieth century. Ghana's maiden government seized this opportunity and attempted to use the museum's collections and exhibitions to define and memorialize the nation's official past within local and Pan-African frameworks. The NMG has since experienced changes in its operations due to changes in the country's political administration. Although it continues to perform its ascribed roles, the museum is, to a degree, dysfunctional and unattractive. This chapter examines the NMG's character and performance from a historical perspective, highlighting the strategic interventions that the government of Ghana and other institutions have made to rejuvenate the museum. We argue that the absence of a proper legal framework, efficient management and a thoroughgoing operational philosophy account for the NMG's predicament. We suggest that enacting improved monitoring systems and appropriate legislation that governs the NMG will provide the museum with the means to reimagine the museum so that it might serve its audiences more effectively, and to actively engage in the discourse on restitution and lead the advocacy for the return of cultural materials that were illegally removed from the country.
