The Museums Association of Namibia (MAN), in collaboration with the Gerda Henkel Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, on Thursday opened the Museum of Namibian Fashion, which will allow visitors to see historical clothing and accessories, as well as contemporary designs inspired by Namibia’s rich history and cultural diversity.
Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Faustina Caley, said during a virtual launch on Thursday in Otjiwarongo that fashion has played an important role in Namibia’s history and continues to grow in all forms locally and around the world.
‘The ministry hopes this museum will become a magnet for visitors to donate new materials to existing collections, which will play an important role in documenting and safeguarding cultural heritage.
“We also want the museum to be a busy place, with a large open space inside to support activities related to the galleries in the museum,” she stated.
Caley added that the museum belongs to every Namibian and encouraged Namibians not only to visit the museum, but also to help the ministry plan, sponsor, and create new displays in the future so that Namibians all over the world can help put together its history and tell the Namibian story.
MAN chairperson, Nehoa Hilma Kautondokwa, stated that MAN believes every community in Namibia deserves access to a museum experience and that one way to achieve this goal is to establish new museums.
“We believe that museums are the custodians of our cultural heritage and, as such, are the ideal spaces to develop and strengthen the educational role of cultural knowledge,” she explained.
“As a result, MAN collaborated with the Namibian National Museum and the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture to ensure that the project fosters synergy between museums and formal education curricula,” she said.
The museum’s galleries will include beads and shells, hair and head-dresses, leather and animal skin processing, metal accessories, plants, bones and rocks, tattoos and body scarification and textiles, among others.