The Theodore Monod Museum of African Art at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, one of the oldest art museums in West Africa, has entered a phase of renewal.
Under director and curator El Hadji Malik Ndiaye, the museum has expanded its holdings, welcomed contemporary artists to engage with its historical collections in new ways, and created space to share new African narratives. While pursuing these initiatives, Ndiaye has contributed to - and been shaped by - a transformative exchange with Yale.
He is one of 16 leaders of cultural institutions from 11 African countries who were part of the inaugural cohort of the Yale Directors Forum (YDF), a fellowship program launched in 2023 to respond to the pressing needs of global cultural leaders, with a focus on Africa's museums and cultural institutions.
For Ndiaye, the YDF fellowship provided an invaluable opportunity to build lasting connections with cultural practitioners across Africa and beyond.
"Participating in YDF has been a moving experience for me, where a community of peers develop their skills in an esprit de corps that reinvents the understanding of what it means to be a leader in the field of heritage conservation," said Ndiaye, an art historian.
