When Leopold II decided to start the great colonial adventure, a number of burgers of Namur answered his call and sometimes lost their life in the process.

The survivors of these pioneers felt the need to get together and create an association, started in 1910, under the name of Society for the Study of Colonial Interests. In 1938, it changed its name to Colonial Circle of Namur. With the will to extend the knowledge of Africa and more particularly the Belgian Congo, it floated the idea of creating in Namur a museum as well as a colonial library.

Thus, as soon as 1912, the first display cabinets were installed in the great hall of the Grain Exchange, in the vicinity of the old city hall. This first museum was the work of Mr. Rhodius, Hachez and Devaux. Unfortunately, the bombing of the City Hall, in August 1914, destroyed all the collections. After the enormous repercussion of the Colonial Exhibition of 1925, another team of ancients of Africa took the flame and created the School Colonial Museum (housed under the rafters of the Athénée Royal of Namur).

This museum was at the origin of the foundation, in 1934, of the National Museum of African Art established by Mr. Nepper, Gérard and Stinglhamber.