GALLERY | FLOOR 2
Africa Hub
Africa Hub is a new type of space that exposes the things we don’t know about the collections we care for.
Unlike most galleries or exhibitions, which represent the culmination of years of research and collaboration, Africa Hub represents a beginning. It is a space where we lay bare the gaps in museum knowledge as a way of creating understanding and connection.
It is also an invitation. We want you all to come on the journey with us, as we work to understand how best the African collections we care for can inspire future generations, whether through return to communities of origin or developing new ways of sharing and celebrating cultural heritage here in Manchester.
Critically, if you recognise any of the objects on display within the space, we want to hear your stories, perspectives, thoughts and reflections too.
Community collaboration sits at the heart of Africa Hub and the first iteration of this space features a display co-curated with Igbo Community Greater Manchester (ICM) that tells rich stories about their cultural expression and heritage. But, whether you’re a visitor to the Museum in Manchester or an online visitor somewhere else in the world, if you recognise any of the objects in Africa Hub, we want to hear your stories too.
The silences in museum records
Manchester Museum cares for more than 40,000 objects from across Africa, most of which have sat in storage for years, hidden from sight. Many of these objects were collected during the period of the British Empire through practices that included trade, anthropology, confiscation and looting. They came into Manchester Museum as donations, purchases, or transfers from other institutions and, often, the only information we have about them is the name of the donor or institution from which they were acquired.
Museum records rarely tell us who made these items, when they were created, or what they were originally called. They do not tell us who owned them, how they were used or why they mattered to people. When places and communities of origin are listed, they are not always accurate.
We need your help to shape the future of African collections and give them new voice. We are bringing them out of storage to expand their histories and reconnect them with communities.
If you recognise something and want to share your insights with us, please speak to a member of staff or leave written feedback in the gallery itself or share your comments via our online collections search. You can view the current rotation of objects on display within the gallery below.
These objects are on display in Africa Hub. If you recognise any of them, please share your stories via the link beneath.
Share your knowledge
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![A musical instrument from Africa on a white background.]()
Musical instrument
A type of harp with a wooden frame. Has a sounding box made from wood and leather, but the strings are missing.
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![Carved wooden animal vessel from Africa.]()
Carved wooden animal vessel
Cut from a single piece of wood, it shows an animal with a small animal of the same sort on its back.
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![Stool with a top that is circular and dished, supported on two bent slightly angled square pillars. The base is round with a convex upper surface.]()
Wooden stool
Cut from a single piece of hard wood, this stool belonged to the chief.
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![A horn consisting of a wooden tube wrapped in leather strips. There are a bunch of iron rattles at the wider end.]()
Horn
A horn consisting of a wooden tube wrapped in leather strips. There are a bunch of iron rattles at the wider end.
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![Carved wooden figure. A standing male figure holding a spear in his right hand and fan in his left.]()
Figure sculpture
Carved wooden figure. A standing male figure holding a spear in his right hand and fan in his left.
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![Hat that is conical in shape, with 'warp' ends gathered into a knob on top and wrapped with twisted leaves.]()
Hat
Conical in shape, with 'warp' ends gathered into a knob on top and wrapped with twisted leaves.
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![Carved wooden stool, with dished seat supported by leopards standing on the backs of elephants.]()
Stool
Carved wooden stool, with dished seat supported by leopards standing on the backs of elephants.
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Hat
A hat crocheted from fine fibre mustard yellow in colour. It is decorated with interlocking lozenges around the side.
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Hat
A hat knitted from a harsh, dark brown fibre. It has a knob at the top and a thick brim.
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Head ring
Head ring made from cowrie shells sewn onto a ring covered in red textile.
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![A head-dress featuring a central pillar covered with cowries which supports a horseshoe or crescent.]()
Head-dress
A head-dress featuring a central pillar covered with cowries which supports a horseshoe or crescent.
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![A large slit gong cut from a single block of heavy, hard wood, probably a section of tree trunk. It is barrel shaped and the interior is hollowed out and there is a slit left in one side with a short handle left in the centre.]()
Gong
A large slit gong cut from a single block of heavy, hard wood, probably a section of tree trunk.
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![A wooden carving of a long-legged horse with an ibis mounted on it's back. The horse is painted black, orange and white, with it's harness picked out in black. The ibis is painted in the same colours.]()
Figure carving
A wooden carving of a long-legged horse with an ibis mounted on it's back.
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![Hat made of alternating bands of dyed straw with projecting natural straw.]()
Hat
Hat made of alternating bands of dyed straw with projecting natural straw.
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![A carved wooden figure of a man on a horse.]()
Figure carving
A carved wooden figure of a man sitting on the back of a horse.
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![Snake wand of bent horn, made in two parts.]()
Wand
Snake wand of bent horn, made in two parts, each the same as the other.
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![A wooden carving in the form of a pigeon with its wings half open. The object is carved from pale light wood and varnished brown.]()
Carving figure
A wooden carving in the form of a pigeon with its wings half open.
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![Hat made from woven grass or leaf strips and strengthened with circles of cane.]()
Hat
Hat made from woven grass or leaf strips and strengthened with circles of cane.
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![Stool made of sections of bamboo set horizontally and interlacing to form the support.]()
Stool
Made of sections of bamboo set horizontally and interlacing to form the support.
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![Musical instrument with a sound box constructed of flat pieces of wood nailed together with a leather membrane. The 'neck' is a slightly curved stick of hard wood.]()
Musical instrument
A 'fiddle' type of instrument made out of wood and leather.
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![Musical instrument from Africa, featuring a body and long neck with two strings.]()
Musical instrument
Musical instrument from Africa, featuring a body and long neck with two strings.
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![Rectangular wood stool with a dished top. The centre is hollowed out leaving a flat base in 2 pieces, and a pierced openwork front and back in an openwork design. The ends are supported by the heads and tails of birds.]()
Stool
Rectangular stool with a dished top, cut from a single block of soft yellow wood.
Reconnecting Igbo knowledge
Igbo Community Greater Manchester (ICM) is a community organisation whose members are of Igbo heritage.
One of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, the Igbo are originally from south-eastern Nigeria, with a significant global diaspora.
In 2025, ICM partnered with Manchester Museum on a research project focused on collections of Igbo origin. The project also studied items recorded as coming from Africa that are used by, and may have come from, the Igbo community.
Members of the ICM Research Group shared the traditional names of items, explained how they were used and why they are culturally significant.
ICM members explain their involvement in Africa Hub.