Greetings（ごあいさつ）

The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) was established in 1974 as an inter-university research institute for cultural anthropology and ethnology with museum functions, under the partial amendment of the Law for Establishment of National Schools (Law No. 81, 1974). The museum was opened in 1977 on the site of Expo 70 in Senri, Osaka; the year 2024 therefore marks its 50th anniversary.
We are pleased to present a special exhibition for the 50th anniversary of the museum’s founding: “THE WORLD OF POET-SINGERS of Minpaku.” Throughout the world, poet-singers can still be seen walking from house to house and from village to village, singing, and reciting poetry. When their songs and stories echo wherever they go, people see the world through different eyes. In this special exhibition, the songs and stories of these poet-singers will be presented as “a different world.”
The exhibition will focus on the songs and narratives of these poet-singers as beings that transform the world. The exhibition introduces the rich individuality of poet-singers in Ethiopia, Mali, and Guinea in Africa; as well as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, and Japan in Asia. Their local histories and environments are displayed through a wealth of images, photographs, documents, and sometimes actual performances.
The exhibition also takes a reflective look at how anthropologists have produced such visual records. This special exhibition is therefore also an attempt to compare and contrast the fieldwork that Minpaku has conducted over the past 50 years in various parts of the world under the common theme of poet-singers’ history. From this perspective, anthropologists who travel the globe and tell stories about local cultures could be viewed as modern-day poet-singers.
We hope that this special exhibition will provide an opportunity for visitors to experience the diversity and richness of the poet-singers’ world and fully reflect on the power of the songs and narratives of poet-singers.

September 2024
Director: National Museum of Ethnology
Kenji Yoshida