The Museums Association of Namibia (MAN), in collaboration the Namibian San Council (NSC), recently donated 200 copies of the Stand Together Catalogue/Mobile Exhibition Guide exhibited in a number of different San languages, to the Directorate of Namibian Libraries.
The exhibition and catalogue are part of a project called ‘Museum Development as a Tool for Strengthening Cultural Rights in Namibia’, which is funded by the European Union Delegation to Namibia.
The multilingual title, according to MAN Director, Ndapewoshali Ndahafa Ashipala, reflects the diversity of Namibia’s San communities and the value the council places on the preservation of the various San languages as being essential to the defines of their cultural rights.
Ashipala told Nampa on Monday that the exhibition focuses on the world’s largest collection of historical artefacts from Namibia’s San communities, which was collected by Dr Fourie [FIRST NAME MISSING…] collected in the 1920s.
She stated that the collection is currently housed at Museum Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to her, the exhibition and catalogue are intended to foster discussion about Namibia’s San communities’ history and culture, as well as to raise awareness and respect for Namibia’s various San communities.
‘’Since the pandemic-related restrictions were loosened, the exhibition travelled the nation, and more than 500 copies of the catalogue were given out to various institutions, schools, and individuals,’’ she said.
The catalogue is also freely downloadable in PDF form from the MAN website, and free hard copies are also available at the MAN office.
The catalogues will also be availed to secondary schools and public libraries across Namibia as a result of their donation to the Directorate of Namibia Libraries and Archives Service, under the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture.
Both the exhibition and the catalogue are available in Ju’/hoansi and English.