Museums - Musée de l'Uélé
Musée de l'Uélé
H. Verstappenplein 12
B3290 Diest
Belgium
+32 013 31 10 41
+32 013 32 86 58
 | Guided tours on request
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The priory of the Croisé brothers at Diest, not far from Louvain, houses a small museum dedicated to Africa. The brothers of the Order of the Holy Cross, a Belgian order whose creation can be traced to the thirteenth century, erected a mission in the northern part of the former Belgian Congo in 1920. Their area of influence and operation was defined by the course of the Uele River, and the museum now bears its name.
The collection of about 100 pieces, brought to Belgium by missionaries and colonials, includes many works created for the colonial market. Nonetheless, in the midst of its somewhat loosely arranged display cases are several masterworks. Among these are two Mangbetu harps, the necks of which terminate in female heads with characteristic coiffures; a series of masks in a style very like that of the Ituri; and a group of Azande fetishes.
The collection of about 100 pieces, brought to Belgium by missionaries and colonials, includes many works created for the colonial market. Nonetheless, in the midst of its somewhat loosely arranged display cases are several masterworks. Among these are two Mangbetu harps, the necks of which terminate in female heads with characteristic coiffures; a series of masks in a style very like that of the Ituri; and a group of Azande fetishes.