Khama III Memorial Museum

History museum in Serowe, Botswana
22°22′56″S 26°42′29″E / 22.382132°S 26.708068°E / -22.382132; 26.708068TypeHistory museumWebsitekhamaiiimem.org

The Khama III Memorial Museum is a museum located in Serowe, Botswana. The museum is dedicated to the history of the Khama family and Serowe.

History

In 1985, the museum was opened for the first time by several people from Serowe, Lenyetse Seretse donated his house for the museum.[1] The museum house was built around 1910. The intention with creating this museum was to promote cultural pride in Serowe.[2] After Bessie Head's death, the museum acquired several of her papers, including notes and sketches as well as writings.[3] The museum has produced an occasional journal called Lekgapho, which is distributed widely around Botswana.[4] In 2006, Bessie Head's room was installed in the museum, as well as permanent exhibits about the writer.[5] In July 2013, the Bessie Head Society in collaboration with the museum organized a symposium in Serowe to commemorate the anniversary of the publication of Bessie's book, A Question of Power.[6] In 2014, the U.S. government donated $78000 (1 074 028,02 pula) to preserve the museum's artifacts which include Khama family manuscripts and Bessie's literary works.[7] The British High Commissioner to Botswana, Katy Ransome visited some of Serowe's historical sites in August 2016, including the museum.[8] The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and Danish Volunteer Service have financially supported the museum.[9] In October 2018, Cuba's ambassador to Botswana, Patricia L. Pego Guerra, visited the museum.[10]

Collections

The museum contains archives about the Khama family.[11] The museum contains musical instruments from the eastern Kalahari.[12] The museum contains ethnographic artifacts from Bangwato merafe, these artifacts date back to the time of Khaima III.[13] Among the museum's exhibits include correspondence, uniforms and furniture, in addition to exhibits on snakes and animals native to Africa.[2] The museum also has artifacts about the culture of the San people and the museum contains temporary art displays.[14] The museum contains photographs of the funeral of Botswana's first president, Seretse Khama.[15] In addition, the museum has also preserved historical Botswana uniforms.[16]

References

  1. ^ Mwakikagile, Godfrey (2010). Botswana: Profile of a Nation. Continental Press. ISBN 978-9987-9322-9-0.
  2. ^ a b "Know Your Museums". Mmegi Online. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  3. ^ Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku; Gates (Jr.), Henry Louis (2 February 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.
  4. ^ Molyneaux, B. L.; Stone, P. G. (2 September 2003). The Presented Past: Heritage, Museums and Education. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-86510-9.
  5. ^ Agbo, Joshua (17 June 2021). Bessie Head and the Trauma of Exile: Identity and Alienation in Southern African Fiction. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-39863-2.
  6. ^ Daymond, M.J. (3 July 2014). "Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Publication of Bessie Head's A Question of Power (1973)". Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa. 26 (2): 112. doi:10.1080/1013929X.2014.957521. ISSN 1013-929X. S2CID 62064839.
  7. ^ "US government helps preserve Khama III Memorial Museum and Bessie Head archives". Sunday Standard Botswana. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  8. ^ "British High Commissioner Visits Serowe". AllAfrica. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Khama museum: Hiden, lonely treasure". Botswana Daily News. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Embajadora de Cuba en Botswana, visita el Museo Memorial Khamma III, como parte de su visita oficial a Serowe". Embajadas y Consulados de Cuba (in Spanish). 22 October 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  11. ^ Morton, Fred; Ramsay, Jeff; Mgadla, Part Themba (23 April 2008). Historical Dictionary of Botswana. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6404-7.
  12. ^ Dlamini, Sazi (10 December 2020). Musical Bows of Southern Africa. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-5013-4675-0.
  13. ^ Seretse, Gasebalwe (27 May 2009). "Botswana: Khama III Museum, a Place Worth Visiting [sic]". AllAfrica. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  14. ^ Ham, Anthony; Holden, Trent (1 September 2017). Lonely Planet Botswana & Namibia. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-78701-163-2.
  15. ^ Setlhabi, Keletso Gaone (2016). "Evoking Memory: A Curatorial Perspective on Botswana's Presidential Heritage". Botswana Notes and Records. 48: 368–382. ISSN 0525-5090. JSTOR 90025352.
  16. ^ Rey, Sir Charles Fernand; Parsons, Neil (1988). Monarch of All I Survey: Bechuanaland Diaries, 1929-37. Botswana Society. ISBN 978-0-85255-016-8.