Organization:Lusaka National Museum
The Lusaka National Museum is a museum located in Lusaka, Zambia, covering the history and culture of the nation.
History
While construction began in the 1980s, the Lusaka National Museum officially opened to the public in October 1996. While the museum was originally intended to focus on the history of Zambian independence, its focus changed to cultural history by the time it opened.[1]
Galleries
The museum is located inside a government complex, opposite a pink mosque and a beige church which define the skyline on this part of Independence Road.[2] Although tiny, at about 500m squared, it has some gems on offer. The museum collection is preserved in storage rooms, while other heritage objects are displayed in two galleries on the ground and upper floors of the museum building.
The lower gallery is home to contemporary art, highlighting the way of life of the Zambian people through paintings, sculptures and models. The upper gallery tells the story of Zambia's development, from ancient through historic past to contemporary way of life. The children's corner is yet another display attraction on the upper floor.
Artworks include Charles Chambata’s Twin Peaks sculpture, a depiction of a woman with "twins" showing, and a life-sized sculpture of a buffalo. There is a miniature of the Freedom Statue and a 1931-model Fiat Topolino join a giant guitar on the lower level of this two-storey museum. Walls are lined with exceptional paintings. One, by Chasoba Chima, brings to life serenity and Eden.
The upper level has a section dedicated to evolution, Stone Age, slavery and its oft-underplayed junction with capitalism.
When the abolition of slavery reached Britain, ship owners were livid. “[It would] put us out of work,” they objected. Among the images featuring in the liberation project, including those of a fresh-faced and black-haired Kenneth Kaunda, are pictures of female marchers protesting for “one man, one vote” - during Britain's shameful reign of racism, slavery, brutality and imprisonments in the region.
Alongside freedom fighter and founding father Kenneth Kaunda and a list of the landlocked nation's politicians, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama find their place on the wall of this museum. Bob Marley is an awesome but fitting surprise. There is more. You wouldn’t ordinarily expect to see images of Brenda Fassie and Lucky Dube adorning a national museum in Lusaka.
References
Mail & Guardian (2016-09-19)
External links
[ ⚑ ] 15°25′19″S 28°17′29″E / 15.4220°S 28.2913°E
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