Accra, 8 June, GNA - A new Museum to showcase the arts and civilization of Africans that bears witness to the equal dignity of all cultures has opened in Paris

Out of the 70,000 collections from the Maghreb, Sub-Sahara Africa and Madagascar, 1,402 were from Ghana.

Known as Musee du Quai Branly occupying 40,000 square metres of land, it was designed as a new type of cultural institution, with dual purpose that is to conserve and exhibit the collections and stimulate research and instruction.

Mr Pierre Jacquemot, French Ambassador to Ghana, who explained the significance of the museum to some members of the Diplomatic Corps and journalist in Accra in a power point presentation, said the Museum would run a programme of performing arts events, theatre, dance and music designed to resonate with the wide range of exhibits on display. This would enhance the sites role as a convivial "cultural city" of non-Western arts showcasing non-European populations: an area where cultures, civilizations and individuals meet to mingle.

Mr Jacquemot said the Museum would satisfy the display of collections, to conserve artefacts, research and to educate. The Museum runs courses designed for Master=92s and Doctoral programmes in partnership with major institutions of higher education and from October 2006 it would open its doors to 250 students and four post-doctoral grants, three doctoral grants and a thesis prize would be awarded.