Africa Day 2025: stories, images, and encounters beyond stereotypes

Africa Day is marked each year on 25 May, commemorating the founding of the Organization of African Unity in 1963. In Cluj-Napoca, the 2025 public celebration took place on 17 May, as part of Night of Museums, at the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania, and marked the beginning of a collaboration between the museum and the African Partnership Group.

We were glad to be part of this event, which created a rare and necessary space for bringing Africa closer to the public in a meaningful way. The program included traditional dances performed by members of the African community, presentations of traditional food with tasting sessions, children's activities, African braiding and face painting, and a DJ program in the museum courtyard.

An important component of the event was the temporary exhibition Africa in images and stories, opened in the Cellarium Gallery and announced as running until 30 May 2025. The exhibition brought together artefacts and photographs from Burundi, Chad, Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, along with video presentations and sessions dedicated to African experiences.

For us, participation in Africa Day was about more than visibility. It was an opportunity to speak about Africa beyond exoticism and simplification: as a continent of extraordinary cultural diversity, major ecological importance, and profound human complexity. Events like this matter because they create room for dialogue, curiosity, and a more honest understanding of the worlds that exist beyond familiar European perspectives.

The public response was strong. The museum later reported more than 6,900 visitors during Night of Museums, noting Africa Day as one of the event's major attractions and a meaningful occasion for intercultural encounter.