Dundo Museum

The Dundo Museum was founded in 1936 by the diamond company that ran this corner of Angola, and it assembled one of the most significant collections of Chokwe art anywhere: masks, chairs, staffs, musical instruments and figures, along with archaeological and natural history material from the Lunda region. The collection suffered badly in the late twentieth century and has been rebuilt and rehoused since. Among the traditions documented here is sona, the Chokwe practice of drawing geometric figures in sand, which UNESCO recognises as intangible heritage.

What you actually see

• The Chokwe masks - a major holding of masks and carved figures.
• The carved chairs and staffs - Chokwe furniture and regalia in the collection.
• The musical instruments - drums, lamellophones and other regional instruments.
• The sona tradition - the Chokwe sand drawing practice, documented in the displays.

When to go

May to September is the dry season and easiest for travel. The museum keeps limited hours and closing days vary. The rains from October to April make regional roads difficult.

Honest expectations

Dundo is remote and reaching it usually means a flight and permission to enter a diamond-concession area. Labelling is limited and mostly in Portuguese. The collection is smaller than it was before the losses of the war years.

Nearby

Lagoa Carumbo is south in the same province, and the Lunda region runs east.