French Equatorial Africa - Expo Paris 1937
You entered a vast terrace where you could contemplate the magnificent panorama of the banks and the quays.
Opposite the entrance door, a three-sided "totem", each of which was decorated with a fetish mask, overlooked the river. This fifteen-metre high "totem" was the work of Mr Biaggi.
To the right of the entrance door was the village that had welcomed, with their families, the artisans from Gabon, Moyen-Congo, Oubanghi-Chari and Chad.
Parallel to the Seine was a long gallery where craftsmen worked with iron, copper, ivory, wood, wicker and cotton.
The main pavilion, in the guise of a native dwelling with its thatched roof and circular veranda, was to the left of the entrance door, with decorative drawings on its walls. Inside, an exhibition of all the original works of the craftsmen occupied one side; the other was reserved for a triptych representing the French influence in Equatorial Africa from 1837 to 1937.
The panels and woodwork showed the decorative richness of our woods from Gabon and Mayombe.
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