Lonely Planet Travel To Central African Republic


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Lonely Planet Travel To Central African Republic

Lonely Planet Travel To Central African Republic

Rush off to the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren (last stop on tram 44 from Brussels) before the end of March 2011: that’s when the temporary display outside this beautiful building ends. The wooden elephants on temporary loan from the Antwerp zoo were designed and constructed for ‘Beaufort 02’ in ‘De Panne’ by a South African Artist called Andries Botha. No trees were sacrificed for their manufacture – 14 different kinds of recycled wood was used, all from trees indigenous to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Andries Botha has since then founded the Human Elephant Foundation.

Experience Nature outside the Royal Museum for Central Africa

Once you have marvelled at the wooden elephants, take a walk in the park, the forest, or around the lake, the immediate gardens are almost Versailles-like: statues, lakes, fountains... Then go inside the building that houses the Africa Museum, pull your gaze up to the beautiful glass-domed ceiling.

The Permanent Exhibition in the Royal Museum for Central Africa

Take in what must be the biggest dugout in the world, made from a single tree! I imagine a team of bare-breasted fishermen crossing the muddy Congo River to the sound of distant drums, smell fresh fish, see a spear or two… but I am jolted back to reality by the sight of hundreds of African animals. The variety of ‘real-life’ animals on display is incredible. If you are fortunate enough to be able to go on Safari, you might see Eland or an Aardvark, sable antelope or elephant teeth, or a crocodile’s skeleton at close range. Also available for perusal are native fishing equipment, musical instruments, smoking instruments and army attire and masks, read about Stanley’s famous (or infamous) expeditions.