•musical instruments on display

By MILDRED KATONGO  –

WITH its aim to preserve, conserve  and appreciate the country’s mining and industrial heritage for enjoyment through exhibitions, education and public programmes to the diverse clients, Copperbelt Museum has continued to provide the much needed services and knowledge to the public.
Preservation of mining and industrial heritage of Zambia is what the museum, situated in Ndola, promotes.
Like any museum, the Copperbelt Museum is not only for the foreign tourists, but is meant for all members of the public.
School-going children and students from various learning institutions have been the prominent clientele who appreciate the museum.
Museum assistant education officer, Mukang’andu Siatontola told the Copperbelt Times that because of the content that the museum has, a number of people were attracted, including students from various institutions.
Ms Siatontola said the museum had content that offers knowledge on the mines’ history and other information pertaining to the Zambian culture.
She said it was important to know the history of the mining industry upon which the country’s economy depends.
Ms Siatontola said that the museum conducts sensitisation programmes to ensure members of the public appreciate the facility.
“We are doing sensitisation programmes to help people know about what we do, and we are seeing a number of them appreciating the services,” she said.
Ms Siatontola said apart from that, the museum had put in place measures to ensure more people appreciated the facility.
She cited exhibitions such as ethnography, a display of an array of material culture of the people of Zambia and how the people have through times harnessed and utilised the resources.
Ms Siatontola said the exhibits include traditional musical instruments, dancing masks, ceremonial axes and other royal and ritual regalia, household utility objects and fishing basketry.
She said other galleries include geology, which shows a range of objects related to the geological history of the Copperbelt, natural history, and temporary and education services.
Ms Siatontola said tradition and culture was part of everyone’s life, adding that people could visit the museum to know their history.
She said members of the public should know that the museums were not only for historical things as they also had information pertaining to the new technology.
“People should not think that the museums are for history only; we are also moving with the new technology. We do research and apply the new technology to meet the trends of time,” she said.
She said the Copperbelt Museum was also working with the women in the communities to promote their skills in crafts and art.
Ms Siatontola said this was one way of raising awareness and helping to promote the hidden talents in the communities.
She said most of the crafts that were being displayed and sold at the museum were made by the local people.
Ms Siatontola said some of the skills include pottery, knitting, making baskets and other crafts.
Apart from promoting the skills for women, the museum also promotes the art done by school-going children.