Project conception

A description of the concept and the aims of the Living Museums in Namibia

The Living Museum

A living museum is a settlement of a specific language group build in such way as it used to be built before the European colonial influence changed the traditional culture. The participants working at the living museums act out the great variety of their original culture. The actors wear traditional clothes reconstructed for the museum and offer activities representing the equivilent past to interested guests with the main focus on the highest possible degree of authenticity.

The aims of the Living Museum

The main aim of the Living Museum is to give members of a certain language group - and especially there children - the possibilty to deal with the origins of their culture and thus understand their cultural background. This may contribute to regain of cultural identity. It may help to understand the complicated situation in modern Namibia and could finally help to find solutions for social problems.

Another aim of the Living Museum is the creation of an income for poor communities in Namibia. This can be acheived through the tourism industry in Namibia. But not only tourists, also pupils, students and every Namibian can support a Living Museum and learn interactivley about the fascinating traditions of the presented culture.

Therefore another aim of the Living Museum is to create an intercultural dialogue and support tolerance and cultural approximation. The actors of the Living Museum are not only actors, they are teachers for guests and their own children.

Cultural and intercultural link