A Game from Africa? The Near East? Europe?
This game board had an eventful journey: it was probably made in the Netherlands or Germany at the end of the 17th century, in a much soughtafter wood, rosewood imported from the Americas. At the time, mancala had been introduced into Europe thanks to trade links with the Near East. The object, whose meaning had been lost, was then passed from hand to hand as a fine piece of baroque sculpture until it entered the collections of the City of Geneva’s Art and History Museum in 1909. Recognized by a visitor in 1970 as the African game awele, related to mancala, it was sent to the MEG which at first refused it because it had been made in Europe. Today times have changed and its journey gives this game board value as a witness to chance meetings. Focusing on the origin of objects alone means seeing museums as windows on distant peoples. By attempting to reconstruct the events that transformed an object into a «museum object», we are discovering the history of relations between cultures.
Danielle Buyssens
