Museums Association of Namibia
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| Abbreviation | MAN |
|---|---|
| Formation | 18 May 1990 |
| Founded at | Alte Feste, Windhoek |
| Type | Non-governmental organisation |
| Legal status | Recognised heritage body (from 2002) |
| Headquarters | Windhoek, Khomas Region |
Region served | Namibia |
| Affiliations | Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (grant-in-aid) |
| Website | www |
The Museums Association of Namibia (MAN) is a non-governmental organisation for museums, heritage sites and related institutions in Namibia. It was launched in 1990, the year of independence. An inaugural meeting was held on 18 May 1990 (International Museum Day) at the Alte Feste in Windhoek; a founding meeting followed on 9 February 1991 at the Swakopmund Museum. Since 2002 the Namibian government has treated MAN as the national voice of museums and has paid an annual grant-in-aid through the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture so that heritage institutions can be set up and supported at regional and local level.[1][2]
Its slogan is “Making Museums Matter”. Members include state and private museums, cultural villages, art galleries, libraries, archives, heritage sites, companies and individuals.
History
A press notice in 1990 proposed an association to deal with collaboration between museums, funding, collecting, curation, research and education. The inaugural meeting at the Alte Feste on 18 May 1990 opened a steering period. Registration fees of about N$8,000 were banked on the advice of archaeologist Beatrice Sandelowsky. On 11 October 1990 G. von Schumann was appointed treasurer and Antje Otto-Reiner secretary. Between June and December 1990 the steering committee drafted a constitution and met officials in the Ministry of Higher Education and Culture and town councils. The founding meeting took place at the Swakopmund Museum on 9 February 1991.[3]
The 25th anniversary conference was held in Swakopmund on 19–20 May 2015. Annual reports continue the phrase “Making Museums Matter – Since 1990”. Ndapewoshali Ndahafa Ilunga has served as director.
Mandate
MAN’s stated mission is to link people and institutions concerned with the study, practice, preservation, protection, dissemination and promotion of national heritage, in cooperation with regional and international organisations. Practical work includes helping new museums to open and existing ones to develop, training and professional standards, exhibitions and catalogues, and links among Namibian museums and with bodies abroad. Government recognition in 2002 tied the annual grant to guidance and expertise for regional and local heritage institutions.
Projects and publications
MAN has worked with the Nakambale Museum at Olukonda (Oshikoto Region), a Finnish mission house opened as a museum in 1995 and owned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia. With the Embassy of Finland it took part in “Promoting and Preserving the Cultural Heritage in Northern Namibia,” one of three northern projects it administered.[4]
In 2019 it published Oombale Dhiihaka: A Bond That Cannot Be Broken, an annotated catalogue of 127 Ndonga objects collected by missionary Martti Rautanen (“Nakambale”) and held in the National Museum of Finland. The book treats Ondonga material culture, royal history and the removal of a fragment of a sacred stone later identified in Helsinki.[5]
A first Guide to Namibian Museums was issued in August 2018 (ISBN 978-99916-902-5-4). Living museums affiliated with the Living Culture Foundation Namibia have been MAN members.
Members and sites
State museums fall under national heritage management; private and community museums may join MAN. Sites discussed in MAN material include the Alte Feste, Swakopmund Museum, Nakambale Museum and living museums (for example Ju/’hoansi at Grashoek, Mafwe and Mbunza projects).
See also
- Nakambale Museum
- Alte Feste
- Swakopmund Museum
- Olukonda
- Martti Rautanen
- Ondonga
- List of museums in Namibia
- International Council of Museums
References
- ↑ "About the Museums Association of Namibia". Museums Association of Namibia. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Museums Association of Namibia". Civic264. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "25 Years of Making Museums Matter 1990–2015" (PDF). Museums Association of Namibia. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Nakambale Museum". Museums Association of Namibia. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ Oombale Dhiihaka: A Bond That Cannot Be Broken (PDF). Museums Association of Namibia. 2019. ISBN 978-99916-902-6-1. Retrieved 2 September 2026. Search this book on
External links
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