Celebrating Namibia's heritage
STEFFI BALZAR
WINDHOEK
The just-ended annual Namibian Heritage Week was themed 'Ombazu Ndjiritutumuna' or 'Building Cultural Resilience - the new normal'.
The theme deals with the sustainability of Namibian cultural heritage and Namibians were encouraged to protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources of the country. As part of the events, the National Museum of Namibia in the capital hosted various exhibitions that could be viewed until this past Sunday. The focus was on topics like climate change and how to deal with it.
For this purpose, the 'Ombombo classroom' was set up - a mobile presentation room in which the achievements regarding the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were presented. The main focus was the common pursuit of a better future.
Natural sciences, archaeology
Lectures on natural sciences and archaeology were also held at the museum.
“Culture shouldn't be viewed as a separate entity, but as a whole,” said Benson Muramba from the museum's natural history department. According to him, the country's fauna and flora can also be considered cultural heritage.
“Tourists, for example, come to see the national parks,” he said.
This is a source of income and therefore very important for the country and development. We want to make people aware of the importance of the context,” Muramba said.
Poor turnout
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was not as well attended as it usually is. In recent years, pupils in particular have attended the activities on offer during Heritage Week.
“This year, we decided to only offer mobile exhibitions,” said one of the museum's documentalists.
“So, we can pack everything into a car and head off to a school to showcase it.”
Earlier in the week, a treasure hunt including interactive games and questions was hosted at the Independence Memorial Museum for grade 10 pupils. The aim was to bring the youth closer to the history and culture of the country in a fun, lively way.
WINDHOEK
The just-ended annual Namibian Heritage Week was themed 'Ombazu Ndjiritutumuna' or 'Building Cultural Resilience - the new normal'.
The theme deals with the sustainability of Namibian cultural heritage and Namibians were encouraged to protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources of the country. As part of the events, the National Museum of Namibia in the capital hosted various exhibitions that could be viewed until this past Sunday. The focus was on topics like climate change and how to deal with it.
For this purpose, the 'Ombombo classroom' was set up - a mobile presentation room in which the achievements regarding the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were presented. The main focus was the common pursuit of a better future.
Natural sciences, archaeology
Lectures on natural sciences and archaeology were also held at the museum.
“Culture shouldn't be viewed as a separate entity, but as a whole,” said Benson Muramba from the museum's natural history department. According to him, the country's fauna and flora can also be considered cultural heritage.
“Tourists, for example, come to see the national parks,” he said.
This is a source of income and therefore very important for the country and development. We want to make people aware of the importance of the context,” Muramba said.
Poor turnout
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was not as well attended as it usually is. In recent years, pupils in particular have attended the activities on offer during Heritage Week.
“This year, we decided to only offer mobile exhibitions,” said one of the museum's documentalists.
“So, we can pack everything into a car and head off to a school to showcase it.”
Earlier in the week, a treasure hunt including interactive games and questions was hosted at the Independence Memorial Museum for grade 10 pupils. The aim was to bring the youth closer to the history and culture of the country in a fun, lively way.
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