The National Museum in Szczecin is the largest cultural institution in Western Pomerania, and one of 7 museums around the country sponsored by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and relevant regional authorities. NMS possesses the largest collection of non-European art (Africa, America, Oceania) in Poland. In 1983, a separate department was established to maintain and develop a collection that has grown to include some 35,000 African artefacts (approximately 10,000 ethnographic and 25,000 archaeological objects).
Unlike many collections built in the Colonial period, the NMS acquired all of its items through legal means and it remains free from contentious historical burdens. Since the 1970s, NMS has undertaken numerous studies of African art. Initially focused mainly on handicrafts, these projects have evolved to explore how globalization and migration are effecting changes in African societies and culture and the art that is produced on the continent and by the African diaspora.
Research on the traditional and contemporary art in Kenya and its dialogue on an international level is within the expertise of NMS, which will be developed.