Sankofa Children's Museum of African Culture holds grand opening after COVID-19 pandemic
BALTIMORE -- From tribal art to fashion, the Sankofa Children's Museum of African Culture brings a taste of Africa directly to Charm City.
Dozens of people flocked to the museum on Saturday to celebrate its grand opening for a second time. The museum initially opened its doors in 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic put a damper on visitation.
Now, the museum has the chance to push the meaning behind the symbol and word, Sankofa.
"Sankofa comes from the Sankofa bird," Denise Leftwich, a docent at the museum, said. "And that bird is looking behind. It is taking the knowledge that it knows about its history, and it is using it to go forward."
It's the exact reason why founder Esther "Mama Kiki" Armstrong and her husband, Jim Clemmer, expanded their cultural shop on Charles Street to a community museum on Pimlico Road.
"It's not just looking and seeing things," Clemmer said. "The kids do things. They build the world's only 13-foot-long map of Africa as a puzzle and they learn that there are 54 countries in Africa."
The Ghanian native's goal is to go beyond just the American history books' teachings of slavery.
"We want to take them back to a time when Africa was prosperous," Mama Kiki said. "Africa had kingdoms. Africa did a lot of trading with the world and nobody talks about that."
She aims to tackle the misconceptions and what she calls the "Tarzan mentality" that people have about Africa.
"Like the ideas that they are animals roaming the streets," she said. "[That] Africans are walking around with clubs and no clothing and all kinds of hideous and ridiculous stuff."
Along with a gallery filled with tribal art and an event space dedicated to book signings and jazz performances, there is a store where people can purchase clothes, hats, scents and other items.
Patti Smith is a volunteer at the museum and said when people come and learn the meaning behind the colors and patterns on the clothes it makes them feel more deeply connected with their roots.
"It's like being home," Smith said. "You say, 'Oh, wow this is what they wore.' These are traditional clothing. I like to wear this at different occasions to show my African heritage."
If you want to take a two-hour tour of the museum, it costs $12and you can purchase tickets on their website.