The Museum

The Living Museum of the Damara was developed and built by Hansbernhard Naobes in cooperation with the Living Culture Foundation Namibia. Since Hansbernhard visited a traditional Mafwe Museum in the Caprivi in 2004 , his dream was to present the traditional Damara culture in a museum.
 
In contrast to the Mafwe, who still posses a great part of their cultural memory and who have kept many of their traditional skills alive over the past, the original Damara culture has been nearly completely forgotten. Hansbernhard and his team had the task to reconstruct their culture and have passed with flying colours. Help was offered especially from another project of the Living Culture Foundation Namibia, the Living Museum of the Ju/’Hoansi-San, which especially helped the Damara to relearn the traditional techniques and skills.

In February 2010 the Museum opened – a huge success for the Damara, but especially for their culture, which can now be maybe partially saved.
 
In the Museum the visitors will now get to know how the Damaras used to live  in Namibia before the time of colonisation. How they forged, how they made their traditional dress and jewellery and how they retrieved food and medicine from the bush. Great importance is attached to representing the ancient culture as authentically as possible.

 

On entering the museum you immerse into a long forgotten world.

Three Gains

The Living Museum offers three essential advantages to the project participants. Firstly it is a good source of income for the Damara, who according to western conception live in great poverty. At the moment about 20 Damara have a secure work place in the museum. Through the sale of jewellery and crafts in the craft shop other community members are able to earn some money.
 
Secondly the Damara occupy themselves with their roots again und thus prevent the loss of cultural values. In this respect the museum also functions as a school for history and culture.
 
Last but not the least the Living Museum stands for an active intercultural exchange. Within the framework to the museum a lot of people concern themselves with the Damara culture and start to understand what makes these special people unique! The visitors give the Damara self-confidence and also the youngsters develop a feeling of being proud about their ancient culture. Maybe they will in this way be able to help themselves out of the social problems they are so perceptive to.