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National Museum of Ghana
The National Museum in Accra is the largest and oldest of six public museums in Ghana. Opened on 5th March 1957 by the late Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, this museum is home to a wide array of exhibits such as indigenous Ghanaian musical instruments, gold-weights, beads, traditional textiles, stools, pottery and ancient masks and beads from all over Africa.
The exhibits housed under the two-tiered rotunda of the museum comprise much more than Ghanaian Culture alone, and include a collection from neighbouring West African countries as well. The museum exhibits items from other parts of West Africa such as the popular Senfu masks from Côte d’Ivoire and the ancient Ife bronze heads from Nigeria. Also on display are numerous artifacts from East and Southern Africa, a particular highlight for most visitors being the wooden figures and bead-ware of the widely-known Zulu tribe.
One of the museum's ground-floor wings is devoted to temporary exhibitions which can range from contemporary dyed fabrics to traditional and sacred artifacts such as the celebrated Ashanti ancestor stools. Other interesting exhibits in the ground-floor rooms include richly decorated Ashanti gold-weighted scales adorned with finely-rendered symbolic images illustrative of traditional proverbs.
The walls of these exhibition halls are lined with samples of traditional Ghanaian garments known as Kente, each of whose symbolic woven designs has its own rich meaning. Certain designs of kente are reserved for royalty and top dignitaries and cannot be purchased by the general public. 
Objects of archaeology, ethnography as well as fine art find their place in the National Museum building. Exhibits at the small but impressive art gallery consist mainly of sculptures and contemporary Ghanaian paintings executed in oil, pasted, acrylic, watercolour and collages. Objects in the archaeology section range from the stone age period to the recent historical past.
The museum is open to the public from 9am until 5pm each day, and has a regular stream of visitors, mainly tourists seeking to discover Africa’s cultural heritage. Temporary exhibitions are held not only by the National Museum but also by individuals and foreign embassies. Guided tours are provided and films on some aspects of Ghanaian culture are shown by the staff of the Education Section to further enlighten visitors.
Click here for photos of the National Museum.
Available Positions
Assistant Curator |
Cataloguer The museum requires a cataloguer to do an e-digitization of various exhibits in the museum and keep accurate records. Code: NM02 |
Students Students are more than welcome to come to the museum to help and gain experience working with museums & art galleries Code: NM03 |
Requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years of age upon application.
- You must have a background of relevance to the individual position and have a strong interest in African culture, art and museums.
- In order to maintain the sustainability and high performance of this project all interns are required to complete a detailed hand-over document for successive interns.
- You will need to be flexible and tolerant, be able to work independently and show initiative and enthusiasm to face the many hurdles and challenges that you will encounter.
Documentation Requirements:
- A completed application form - required for application.
- A personal or professional reference given by an employer, teacher, lawyer or doctor. This reference must include detail of the context in which the referee knows you, stating that he/she knows of no reason why you should not volunteer. The referee should also provide their contact details in order that Ikando can contact them prior to your departure to confirm the reference given. References cannot be family members. This reference should be emailed by the referee to info [at] ikando.org.
- A copy by email to info [at] ikando.org of your travel (including medical) insurance certificates.
- Information on your travel arrangements (flight number, airline, arrival and departure time and dates). We always recommend volunteers who book online to email us their booking.
- A copy of the photo page of your passport to be emailed to info [at] ikando.org.
All Documentation must be sent to us at least two weeks before arrival.
Academic credit is available for this placement. Email us for more information.
Important Details
| Project Duration | Minimum Duration 4 weeks - Maximum Duration 52 weeks (can be extended in-country) |
| Dates | You can volunteer at any time throughout the year. |
| Pricing | £ 715 for 4 weeks, £92 per week thereafter. For prices in your local currency click here. |
| Deposit | £ 150 (included in total price) |
| Location | Accra |
| Airport to fly into | Accra Airport (ACC) - (also known as Kotoka International Airport) |
| In-country Budget | From $50 on a tight budget to $150 p/week if you wish to explore Ghana. Read more... |
Click here for more information on our pricing.
What’s included in the project fees?
• Accommodation
• Welcome pack
• In-country introduction to life in Ghana.
• Airport pick-up & drop-off
• 24/7 Emergency support.
What’s not included?
• Flights & Visa
• Vaccinations (please speak to your local GP)
• Insurance (required)
Health and Safety
Ghana is one of the safest countries in Africa. In the Global Peace Index it is ranked above both the United Kingdom and the US. It is the perfect introduction for first time volunteers to Africa. It has a democratic electoral process and a stable economy. Our ten-strong team in Ghana is there to ensure your health and safety at all times and you'll have emergency support 24/7.
Accommodation
The volunteer will be housed in our accommodation in the centre of town, with it possible to walk from the accommodation to nearby shops, communication centres, bars and restaurants. The spacious accommodation with a fully furnished kitchen is well maintained and has live-in staff to ensure you are well looked after. The surrounding garden and balconies overlooking Accra are perfect for chill out sessions with fellow volunteer housemates.
Food
Food is not included in our placements as in our experience volunteers prefer to cater for themselves. We have a fully furnished kitchen and our staff will show you where you can do your shopping. Western-style supermarkets and the bustling markets can be found nearby. A weekly vegetable & fruit shop can cost as little at $10, however shopping at the western-style supermarkets can be quite dear as most goods are imported.
"Quarshi (Ikando Staff) will introduce you to a woman named Felicia who sells mangos and bananas. Her mangos may very well be the sweetest in town. And, you will love shopping in the market." Elise Wray.
Airport Pick up
An Ikando member of staff will be at the airport arrivals to meet you and take you to the Accra accommodation. Please be aware that arrivals is located outside the airport, just keep an eye out for a sign with your name on it. Please ensure you send us your flight details two weeks before arrival.
Flights
Volunteers must arrange their own flights to Accra Airport (ACC). Please be aware that you should aim to arrive on the day your placement is due to start. If you are unable to do so please just check first with your volunteer coordinator whether the new dates also work for us. The following airlines fly into Accra:
- Alitalia (Lagos, Rome-Fiumicino)
- British Airways (London-Heathrow)
- Delta Air Lines (New York-JFK)
- EgyptAir (Cairo)
- Emirates (Abidjan, Dubai)
- Ethiopian Airlines (Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Lagos, Lome)
- Ghana International Airlines (London-Gatwick, Dusseldorf)
- Kenya Airways (Nairobi, Freetown, Monrovia)
- KLM (Amsterdam)
- Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Lagos)
- South African Airways (Johannesburg)
