Musée d'Arts Africains, Océaniens et Amérindiens (MAAOA)

The Musée d'Arts Africains, Océaniens et Amérindiens, known as the MAAOA, is housed in the Vieille Charité at 2 Rue de la Charité in the Panier district of Marseille's 2nd arrondissement, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It presents masks, sculpture, textiles and everyday and ceremonial objects from sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Its core comes from the collections of the Marseille municipal museums, which grew with the city's trading and colonial links in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and from later donations, including a significant bequest from the collector Pierre Verger. The museum emphasises objects as works of art rather than as ethnographic specimens, and the displays group pieces by region and function, such as masks used in rituals, figures for ancestor veneration and items of daily life. The arrangement is thematic rather than strictly chronological. Today, museums with colonial-era collections face questions about provenance and restitution, and the labelling and presentation of such collections is an ongoing area of change. The setting is Pierre Puget's baroque almshouse, begun in 1671, whose arcaded galleries and domed chapel give the museum an architectural identity of its own, and the long rooms provide good light for the displays. The building was restored in the 1980s, and the galleries are in a good state. According to the city, permanent collections are free to enter, while temporary exhibitions cost between about EUR 3 and 12. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays. Since it shares its site with the Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne, a visit can easily be combined, and the courtyard and chapel are worth a look in their own right. A typical visit lasts about an hour, making it a rewarding stop on a walk through the Panier.