An Africa Atlanta 2014 event, Mapping Place: Africa Beyond Paper invites visitors to explore the ways that the changing representation and projection of space has shaped our approach to Africa. It will include examples of European representations of Africa on paper maps from the late 16th to the 20th century, along with African artifacts and paper objects pertaining to the scientific, administrative commercial and military exploitation of the continent by European and North American interests.

Visitors will also see examples of GIS mapping technologies used for reviewing mining resources in the Congo as well as examples of the ways that underprivileged inhabitants in Nairobi have begun to map the space in which they live. 

An interactive media platform that recalibrates the conception of place and memory incorporated into a particular African artifact – the Lukasa board – will allow visitors to produce collaborative narratives which will perforce give “objective” personal stories a peculiar mytho-graphical dimension.

Museum hours are 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, May 17 is a private reception and viewing.

Africa Atlanta 2014 is a citywide, year-long series of events highlighting Atlanta as a nexus for reinventing the cultural and economic bonds among Africa, Europe, and America. Running from October 2013 through Fall 2014, nearly 50 art exhibitions, performances, cinema, and multi-disciplinary conferences, seminars, and symposia encompass the realms of arts & culture, business & innovation, education, and global affairs. A highlight is KONGO across the WATERS, an exhibition from one of the world’s premier African art collections - the Royal Museum of Central Africa.

Africa Atlanta 2014 is presented by Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts with the Consulate General of Belgium and the Africa Atlanta Partners, a collaboration of twenty-five organizations that includes the city’s premier universities, arts and community organizations, business and industry, the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, federal and consular agencies. Visit www.africaatlanta.org for a comprehensive schedule of activities.