Africa in Belgrade

Located in Senjak (SEN-yak), one of Belgrade's most beautiful residential areas, the Museum of African Art is the only museum in the country dedicated entirely to the culture and arts of the African continent. After many years of having acquired art throughout West Africa, Veda and Dr. Zdravko Pečar formed an extraordinary collection, which they donated to the City of Belgrade, and in 1977 the Museum of African Art was established. The collection now consists of over 1700 authentic objects of art from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Togo, Cameroon, and Congo. Along with numerous masks and wooden sculptures, the Museum's permanent exhibit displays other objects made of various media for magical or decorative purpose.

This photo shows a typical West African dwelling, which stands on the grounds of the Museum.

Read more about the Museum here

P.S. I would like to thank Jacob of FloridaFotos for the Creative Blogger Award on the sidebar!

Sava River line-up

Last Friday we had some very early and very warm weather. I liked the way the boats in the foreground were lined up, just as are the houseboats, the trees on a river island, and even the buildings visible in the background.

Looking west from Senjak

Look at all the chimneys in this photo, looking westward from a hill in the Senjak (SEN-yak) part of town. Though this photo looks down on Belgrade's hippodrome, several dilapidated factories and post-war high-rises, most of Senjak (behind me when I took this photo) is a wealthy neighborhood consisting of beautiful mansions. (Be patient...) The area got its name long ago when farmers used to keep their hay all around Belgrade, and fires were quite frequent. It was then made mandatory that hay had to be kept in one place, and so Senjak was chosen. (The Serbian word for hay is seno.) After WWII when the communists took over, Senjak shared the same fate as another nearby posh neighborhood, Dedinje. They declared almost all well-off residents as state enemies and forced them out of their mansions, and they and the military elite moved in.... Often drastic measures were used to remove the upper class, and many fled the country for their lives, while many unfortunate ones were taken into a nearby forest and shot. Their bodies lay for decades in unmarked graves until they were discovered by construction workers clearing trees for a new soccer field. Nowadays, many ambassadors' residences and several international schools are located in Senjak.