The Boulanger-Bouhière collection is an internationally renowned reference collection of nearly six hundred African sanzas. It includes numerous variants found across sub-Saharan Africa. In 2021, the MIM acquired half of this exceptionally rich collection with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation. The remaining instruments were purchased by the Musée de la Musique in Paris.
At the end of the 1960s, engineer François Boulanger and Françoise Bouhière spent several years living in Congo. It was there that their passion began for the sanza - a small percussion instrument that has now largely disappeared from everyday African musical life. Over a period of fifty years, the couple assembled a unique collection that bears witness to a rich and fascinating tradition.
The collection stands out both for its great diversity and the quality of the instruments. François Boulanger also documented the collection with great care, providing detailed descriptions of each piece’s geographic origin, organological characteristics, typology, and provenance. His original inventory was later replaced by the Sanza Blog, which shares images of the collection along with numerous iconographic documents. This website remains a valuable resource for researchers and has significantly contributed to the international reputation of the Boulanger-Bouhière collection.