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Touring Exhibitions

Akan Goldweights in NBS

location

The exhibition on display at the Visitor Center of the National Bank of Serbia.
12, Kralja Petra street

October 14th, 2011 – April 20th, 2012
The exhibition is opened all working days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

About the exhibition

The visitors will have the opportunity to see more than 500 objects from the collection of the Museum of African Art, that bear witness to the importance of natural gold resources, trade and cultural relations of the region of West Africa in global history.

The Akan peoples that inhabit areas of Ghana and Ivory Coast rich in gold, used gold dust as currency from the 15th century until the end of the 19th century and produced goldweights of different shapes as means of measurement. Like miniature sculptures in bronze, the goldweights represent an entire world in miniature form: people, animals, flora, artefacts, and also different geometric shapes. The rich symbolism of represented motifs is especially appealing, for many of the goldweights illustrate Akan proverbs and folk tales and treasure memories of battles, myths and legends.

Besides goldweights, the exhibition presents scales, spoons and boxes for gold dust and also examples of wax models and molds for casting bronze.

The author of the exhibition is Marija Licina, curator of the Museum of African Art.

The exhibition is organized as a result of the cooperation of the National Bank of Serbia and the Museum of African Art on the occasion of celebrating the World Savings Month that is organized every year in October.

The exhibition was opened by Ambassador of Ghana in Serbia, H. E. Samuel Valis-Akyanu and vice-governor of the NBS Bojan Marković.

PLUS: A special impression is made by the representative building of the National Bank of Serbia which dates from 1890 and also by the Standing exhibition of the NBS - “Money in the territory of Serbia”.