With Africa Day falling on May 25, travellers need a way to enjoy the continent's beauty. With Google Arts and Culture, exploring global tours, exhibits and attractions can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.
Here are five photographic exhibits, location tours, and stories that give insight into the culture and art of a handful of destinations on the African continent.
Travel to Kenya
Visit the African Heritage House, a building constructed of varied mud architectures from across the continent. Home to a vast collection of African art and artefacts, it overlooks the Nairobi National Park in real life. You can meander through online exhibits showcasing ‘The History of African Heritage Jewelry’, ‘The Fabric of Africa’, the story of curator Alan Donovan’s journey through African art and culture, and more.
Travel to Cameroon
Learn about Cameroon’s history and modern culture by paging through the digital version of the ‘Elephants With Wings’ collection by contemporary local artists. The online exhibit is compiled by Imago Mundi, an extensive catalogue of works commissioned and collected by Luciano Benetton during his global travels. This series of images and artworks from Cameroon depicts the country’s “diverse human and cultural landscape” through the insight and perspective of its artists.
Travel to South Sudan
‘Dinka: Legendary Cattle Keepers of Sudan’ is a collection of exquisite images provides a close perspective on “various aspects of Dinka identity, culture and way of life”. The pair believe: “the Dinka are among the most outstanding groups of people whose culture we would like to bring to the awareness of the world”. This online exhibition is part of the ‘African Ceremonies’ catalogue on Google Arts and Culture.
Travel to Africa to experience African Ceremonies
An exhibition showcasing African tribal ceremonies, paying homage “to the rituals that mark every important occasion in tribal life — birth, initiation, courtship, marriage, royal coronations, seasonal rituals, healing exorcisms, and death”. Discover rites of passage from across the continent and their role in the life cycle and celebrations of communities, documented through a series of photographs taken over many years.
Travel to Africa to experience Jewish Architecture
This online exhibit by the Center for Jewish History, titled ‘Discovering the Synagogues and Other Jewish Architecture of Sub-Saharan Africa’, tells the story of Jewish communities in the region through a collection of watercolour renderings by artist Jay A. Waronker. Uncover how current-day Jewish communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa came to various locations in the region over many years “through waves of immigration”, and where they practice their faith.