This exhibition explores the theme of music at the time of the transatlantic slave trade, with a particular focus on the manufacture of instruments in Africa and the former European colonies in the Americas.
Victor Schœlcher left a large collection of instruments gleaned in the nineteenth century from his travels studying slavery, both in the Caribbean and in Africa. A veritable treasure trove, it bears witness to the history of instruments and their evolution, particularly that of the banjo. Now an emblem of the United States, its origins are traced among the instruments made by enslaved people, who mixed African and European lutherie.
Panels and multimedia content will introduce you to a selection from the ‘Schœlcher collection’, which has helped to reveal the origins of the American banjo and its links with the history of slavery.
Office de Tourisme Alsace Rhin Brisach
