Francis Gnoléba Tagro

Biographie

Francis Gnoleba Tagro has been Director of the Museum of Civilisations of Côte d’Ivoire, a leading national museum in Abidjan, since 2022. With over twenty years’ experience at this institution, he possesses in-depth expertise in African museology and an intimate knowledge of Ivorian collections. He holds a Master’s degree in Development, specialising in Heritage Management, from Senghor University in Alexandria, a Postgraduate Diploma in Museology from the National Higher Institute of Arts and Cultural Action in Abidjan, and a Master’s degree in Natural and Environmental Sciences, his multidisciplinary academic background underpins a holistic approach to heritage. Since 2004, he has progressively worked his way up through various positions within the institution, from the Conservation Department to the Deputy Director’s role, acquiring a comprehensive mastery of the various aspects of museum work. A recognised specialist in Ivorian textiles, he has coordinated numerous collection inventory projects, including textiles, and organised several major exhibitions on wax cloth, notably ‘Le pagne wax et moi pour toujours’ (2009). His expertise also extends to traditional technical skills, the documentation of collections and the publication of scholarly catalogues, such as ‘Ancestral Arts of the Civilisations of Côte d’Ivoire’ (2014–2015). As a key figure in international cooperation, he worked closely with the musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac on organising the archives of the ethnologist Bohumil Holas (2018–2019) and curating the travelling exhibition ‘The Great Masters of Sculpture in Côte d’Ivoire’ (2015). His publication with Julien Bondaz on the nationalisation of the Abidjan Museum reflects his thinking on the history of African museum institutions. As a trainer and mentor, he supervised Dr Jean-Paul C. Lawson’s thesis on the digital conservation and promotion of African collections, demonstrating his commitment to the transmission of knowledge.