A museum built on the site of the beginning of a history marked by slavery

Opening in 2023 after more than 20 years of planning, the International African American Museum (IAAM) is located in a deeply symbolic place: Gadsden's Wharf, where more than 40% of the enslaved Africans who came to North America disembarked. It is, literally, a museum built on the wound, and at the same time, a space of memory, dignity and hope.

Far from the traditional approach, this museum does not glorify the past: it disarms, explains and humanizes it. Through interactive technology, testimonies, contemporary art and historical objects, the IAAM tells the story of the African diaspora in the United States from a lively and respectful point of view. Here you learn about culture, resistance, music, religion, cuisine, language... and also about the systems that oppressed, and continue to oppress.

Outside the museum, the "African Ancestors Memorial Garden" connects the building to the sea. It is a space for contemplation, surrounded by sculptures, fountains and benches. Being there, facing the water, knowing what happened centuries ago on that very spot, is a silent but transformative experience.

Ideal for those who travel not only to see, but to understand.