Seven of the world's best places to learn about Black history

The international slave trade, lasting approximately between 1526 to 1867, created a diaspora of African people in almost every corner of the globe. From Europe to South America, people of African descent have impacted history and created unique, often blended, cultures that persist to this day in many places around the world.

Though many countries still have a long way to go in terms of acknowledging and honouring Black communities, there are museums, cultural centres and tours around the world dedicated to teaching visitors about the unique histories and cultures of people of the African diaspora. Here are some of the best places to educate yourself.

Opened in 2018, the Musée des Civilisations Noires aims to highlight the continent’s contribution to the world's cultural and scientific knowledge, pushing back on stereotypes that continue to persist about Africa and its peoples. The museum has a variety of exhibitions that cover things like the African origins of humanity, the history of various African civilisations, and religious traditions found on the continent. What’s perhaps even more interesting is what’s been left out of the museum. The museum was intentionally built with room for close to 18,000 additional pieces of art they hope will be repatriated to the country from museums around the world, that obtained pieces of African artwork and cultural artefacts without permission during colonisation.    

Erected in 1482 by the Portuguese, this imposing structure on the Ghanaian coast was the site of untold horrors as the first slave-trading post in sub-Saharan Africa. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fortress now houses a museum which offers tours of the site in addition to its exhibitions. The site has become a pilgrimage point of sorts to people of African descent from around the world interested in honouring the ancestors who passed through the so-called 'Door of No Return' here – and sites like it across West Africa – to make the gruelling journey in unimaginably inhumane conditions to various points across the ocean. 

The International African America Museum, opened in June of 2023, is located on Gadsden’s Wharf, believed to be the point at which nearly 40% of enslaved Africans first came to the US. Comprised of the outdoor African Ancestors Memorial Gardens and indoor exhibitions that cover the ways people from the African diaspora shaped the world, the museum includes a variety of artefacts, artwork and digital experiences (available both on-site and online.)

The Smithsonian Institute’s NMAAHC museum is currently the largest museum in the USA dedicated to Black history, as well as one of the most popular. Opened in 2016 to much fanfare, the museum is a must-do for anyone interested in the history of African American people and culture. The unique design of the building and its exhibitions take visitors from the small basement exhibitions, featuring artefacts outlining the horrors of slavery, slowly upward 10 floors to exhibitions that detail the important triumphs and accomplishments that people of African descent have made in the USA through history and up to the present day.   

It’s estimated that more than 3.5 million people of African descent were brought to Brazil as part of the slave trade, many of them directly to the then capital city of Salvador da Bahia, the site of the first slave market in the 'New World'. Today, though more than 50% of Brazil’s population have some African ancestry, the community still faces discrimination and marginalisation. The historic Pelourinho district of the city, known by locals as Pelo, still retains much of its African influenced culture to this day. Visitors can take a Black history walking tour through the pastel-coloured buildings, witness a Candomblé ceremony – which blends elements of Indigenous African traditions with Catholicism – or visit the Museu da Cidade to learn more about these traditions and about poet Castro Alves, one of the first public figures to protest against slavery.

This museum on the beautiful island of Martinique is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the Indigenous and African peoples who called the island home. La Savane des Esclaves consists of several traditional thatched roof buildings that recreate homes that the Indigenous Kalinago people would have lived in, as well as slave dwellings and homes that newly freed Black people would have built for themselves. There’s also an extensive garden that showcases the medicinal and edible plants of the region. The best time to visit is during the island’s high season, when the museum puts on a variety of activities, workshops, demonstrations and shows that teach visitors about the traditional dances and music of these two important communities.

Like many places around the world, people of African descent in the UK struggle with issues of racism and marginalisation. In the early 1980s, in response to the New Cross Massacre, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and other instances of inequality, the founders of the Black Cultural Archives felt it was important to create a space where members of their community could go to learn about their history and find positive representations of themselves. Located in Brixton, the Archives preserves artefacts that educate and celebrate the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent. They also put on a variety of exhibitions, educational programs and events, while also serving as a research facility for anyone interested in learning more about what it means to be Black in Britain.

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