56Reviews2Q&A
Reviews
Traveller rating
- 18
- 25
- 13
- 0
- 0
Traveller type
Time of year
Language
More
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Popular mentions
+1
The only good thing about the museum - its price only 1000fCFA. The building itself is beautiful and at least maintained, what you cannot say about other buildings in Grand-Bassam. The view from the second floor is good. The exposition is not impressive but... I guess, it is the only museum in the city, so if you have even 2 days in Grand-Bassam, you will anyway end up in this museum despite of the bad reviews :D…
Read more
Date of experience: November 2019
Helpful
OnwardTraveller wrote a review Sep 2019
Southampton, United Kingdom777 contributions374 helpful votes
This little place won’t take you long. The photos are more interesting than the costumes but the real point is to soak up the architecture and ambiance and try to imagine yourself as the Governor all those years ago.
Read more
Date of experience: September 2019
Helpful
+1
My Ivorian friend brought me to Grand Bassem on a recent visit to Abidjan for an event. As we rode through the town, it appeared as if we rolled back in time. When we arrived at the building the museum looked like those colonial buildings you'd see in documentaries... whitewashed with expertly-manicured lawns. The building showed obvious signs of aging and there were no other visitors there. There were many stories about tradition, hierarchy and roles that elders held in ancient societies. The customs were very interesting because they represent specific ethnic groups, status, wisdom, marital status. The Akan exhibit was interesting because of the "Royal Hammock" from which the king would lie. It resembled a coffin to remind the king he had to be a just leader or else... There were small things in the outfits like the caps. In one instance, you could only wear the cap if you had reached a certain level of wisdom. Reminds me of the mortar board worn for graduates. All in all, it was a very interesting exhibit. I went to the souvenir shop next door and bought jewelry from three vendors including one man who was albino. Very nice gentleman. I would recommend it. There is a carpet factory down the street that is also very good.…
Read more
Date of experience: May 2019
Helpful
just the outside architecture is worth the visit, the steps, entrance wonderful, inside you learn about various ethnic groups of CI, very much worth a visit
Read more
Date of experience: August 2018
Helpful
You will need a guide to reach it, small museum, the ancient house of the Governor. Grand Bassam was the first capital of Ivory Coast after colonization, and the museum is not only about costumes, but also about local history. Some efforts and funding is a must for refurbish and recreate the buildings and surroundings…
Read more
Date of experience: February 2019
Helpful
