Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza Memorial

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Pierre de Brazza was an Italian-born explorer who later in life became a naturalized French citizen. In contrast to Henry Stanley, his friendly manner and respectful approach to locals made him very popular among Africans. Under French colonial rule, the capital of the Republic of the Congo was named Brazzaville after him and the name is still kept until modern days. Congo is the only African nation to have a giant statue of the city colonial founder in the middle of “centre ville” with a museum dedicated to him!

Brazza died in Dakar, was first buried in France at Pere Lachaise, by request of hos widow transferred to Algiers and eventually, in October 2006, his skeletal remains, as well as those of his wife and four children, were brought from Algeria to Brazzaville. They were laid to final rest at the Brazza Memorial.

The museum is not visited very often. As a matter of fact, I often wonder who visits it, since I
hardly ever see any people going in and out of the building. However, recently it gained in popularity, due to the expansion project - the government built the conference center next to it, in hopes of transforming this area into a true cultural complex. Many events take place in the outdoor space in front of it.

I visited the museum in 2019. At the time I was teaching 3rd grade at the American International School of Brazzaville and I organized the trip to the Memorial as part of our social studies unit. My assistant and I had to make a prior appearance at the site to fill out forms and book a guide for the day of our visit. We could not have just showed up with a large group like this.


The guide was knowledgeable, good with children and spoke clear, easy to understand French. We visited the crypt and later, the guide walked us through the exhibits of Congolese life from the times of Brazza. The entry hall houses temporary exhibits of paintings, sculptures and
ceramics - all worth seeing.

The entry to the museum is free but they do ask to sign the guest book and give a small donation if you are so inclined. Tips for the guides are common practice.


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