Khama III Memorial Museum

Coordinates: 22°22′56″S 26°42′29″E / 22.382132°S 26.708068°E / -22.382132; 26.708068
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Khama III Memorial Museum
Map
EstablishedOctober 19, 1985; 38 years ago (1985-10-19)
LocationSerowe, Botswana
Coordinates22°22′56″S 26°42′29″E / 22.382132°S 26.708068°E / -22.382132; 26.708068
TypeHistory museum
Websitekhamaiiimem.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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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.
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