Inside: The Orchid House Refurbishment

September 2017 July- September 2017

Museum News

Contents•European Union marks

Heritage Day ........................ 1•The Orchid House gets a majorfaceliftwithhelpfromthe Thai ................................ 2

•Whispering bones and the Abasuba pictorial history ..... 3

•Kenya through the lens of the Thais .................................... 4

•KECOSOdartscompetition .. 5•Tribute to Michael Jackson temporaryexhibition .......... 5

• Upcoming Events .................6

1

Quarterly Newsletter of the National Museums of Kenya

The European Union DelegationtotheRepublic of Kenya in collaborationwiththeNationalMuseumsof Kenya (NMK) organised the European Union Heritage day celebrationattheNairobiNationalMuseum.Theofficialopening of the event wasonThursday,September 28th 2017 at the Louise Leakey Auditorium. The Director General Dr. Mzalendo Kibunjia received the Cabinet Secretary Hon. Dr. Hassan Wario and European Union Deputy HeadofDelegationBruno Pozzi. The

delegationwhichalsohadrepresentativesfromBegium,German,Finnish and Italian embassiesweretakenfor a tour of the gallery and concluded the tour atthegraffitimuralpainted by young artiststomarkthecelebrations. During his opening remarks,DirectorGeneral Mzalendo kibunjia said the Museums fossil collectionsareunparalleled and holds thebiggestcollectionof stone tools. He expressed hope that tenyearsafterthelastmajor engagement

withtheMuseum,theywouldtakeafurther step in future engagements.

The Deputy Head of Delegation,BrunoPozzisaidhewasveryproudto celebrate heritage because Kenya is rich in social diversity. “The Museum houses some of the most significantfindingsinpaleontology”,heconcluded. Hon. Dr. Hassan Wario thanked the European Union fortheircontinuedpartnership and support to the Museum statingthatweallhopefor bigger things in future.

The European Union celebrates Heritage Day at NMK

Head of Political and Press, EU, Andrew Barnard poses for a symbolic handshake with Hon. C.S. Dr. Hassan Wario at the Snake Park.

The delegation is briefed by one of the young artisits about the mural and graffiti spray painting.

2QuarterlyNewsletteroftheNationalMuseumsofKenya

July - September 2017

On 7thSeptember,theNationalMuseumsofKenyainpartnershipwiththeRoyalThaiGovernmentre-openedtheOrchidgardenafterrefurbishing and restocking the facility. This comesafteralongstandingpartnershipwiththeThailandforeignmissioninKenyawhichhasbeeninoperationfor50years. To celebrate the golden jubilee of this relationship,theRoyalThaiEmbassyinNairobiwithfinancialsupportfromThailandInternationalDevelopment Agency (TIDA) proposed to support anintegratedplantconservationprojectinKenya.Hence,theKenya-Thailandprojectpartnershipfortechnicalsupportfororchidconservation.LocalpartnersintheorchidconservationincludetheKenyaOrchidSociety,KenyaForestService,KenyaWildlifeService,USAIDPEERPlantprojectGrantnumber342andMinistryofForeignAffairs.

In2013,aproposaltorefurbishthesefacilities,improvethedisplay,modernizethecollectionandstartpropagation,wasmadetotheRoyalThailandEmbassyandwaspositivelyreceived.

Thispartnershipisasouthtosouthcollaborationbetweeninstitutionsandgovernments.Speakingafterthelaunch,Mr.WilliamWambugu,Head of the Botanical Gardens said they have plansfortheplatformwhichincludegrowingorchidsfortimberforconstructionandfirewood.’Weare also looking for exchange program opportunitieswithThairesearchfacilities,andareplanning to put up a tissueculturefacilityto propagate not only orchids but other plantsaswell.’

BelowMary Mbatha, tends to the various varieties of Orchids.

TheOrchidHousegetsamajorfaceliftwithhelp from the Thai Embassy

3

Semi - permanent Exhibition at Nairobi National Museum

Above A section of the Abasu-ba Pictorial History Gallery at the temporary exhibitions.

Suba (Abasuba) means “a people whoarealwayswandering”.Theyoriginally migrated from Central AfricaintoUgandaandsettledonthetwoIslandsofRusingaandMfangano in Lake Victoria. Other migrantssettledonthemainlandlocationsofGwasiandUregiHills.Abasuba are believed to be the lastpeopletosettleinKenyabetween1500to1800years.TheyspeakOlusuba,EkisubaandDholuo. Olusuba dialect is spoken by the inhabitants of Mfangano IslandwhereasEkisubaisspokenbythoseinGwasiandRusinga.

Most of the Abusuba cultural practiceshavebeenadoptedbytheLuo.However,theyremaindistinctintheirpracticeofmalecircumcision and arrangement of thehomestead.Theexhibitiontraces the history of the Abusuba community to present day.

LocationSubaland lies on the Eastern shores of Lake Victoria and nearby Islands in Homa bay County. The land

stretchesfromtheGulfofNyanza,Ruru Bay up to the Southern reach ofMataraBay.Ithastwomainislands,RusingaandMfanganoandother smaller ones. The mainland includesGwasiHills,UregiHillsofMeari,kaksingiriinSindo,Sumaand parts of Migori County on the Southern shores in Muhuru Bay.

The‘ElimuAsilia’programmeattheNationalMuseumsofKenyainvolvestheNMKlibrarieswork-ingwithNMKresearchersandvolunteersinteractingwithlocalcommunitiestocollect,preserve,andshare—withinthecommuni-ty itself and in the larger Kenyan society—indigenousknowledgeonculture,environment,healthandhistory. Elimu asilia means indige-nousknowledgeinKiswahili.TheElimu Asilia programme has carried outaprojectontheSuba,thereyouwilllearnnotonlysomethingaboutTomMboya,butalsorealisethatsomeotherwell-known‘Luos’are actually Suba people.

TheexhibitionatNairobiNationalMuseum is about skeletons of animals thathaveabackbone,knownspecificallyas vertebrates. Skeletons protect internal organsandprovidetheframeworkformuscleattachmenttoenablemovement.Bonesmanufactureredandwhitebloodcells. The red cells transport oxygen and carbon dioxide from the body organs whilethewhitecellsmaintainbodyimmunity.

TheosteologysectioninZoologyDepartmenthasadiversecollectionofskeletons.Reptiles,mammals,birdsandfisharerepresentedintheuniquecollection.TheexhibitionincludestheWhale,theworld’slargestmammalwhichlivesinoceans,thefamousBigFive and some endangered and rare species.

Scientistsspecializedinskeletalstudiescanhelpidentifythespeciesfromwhichtheunknownbonescamefromandeventheageoftheanimals,Younganimalshave more bones than adults because their bone parts are separate and join together as they mature. The process of joining together the immature bone partsisknownasassification.Insomecases,itispossibletotellhowtheanimaldiedandhowolditwasatthetimeofdeath.Bonesharbormuchmoreinformation,includingchemicalsfromthe environment the animal inhabited and its ancestry- DNA.

Whisperingbones,ourhidden treasures

The Abasuba pictorial history at theNairobiNationalMuseum

BELOW: A map of the origins of the Abasuba community

Skeleton of a Sperm Whale, the largest mammal in the world

4 July- September 2017

Temporary Exhibition at Nairobi National Museum

Kenya through the lens of the ThaisIn2015,theRoyalThaiEmbassyinvitedtworenownedThaiphotographersandeditors,MissDuangdaoSuwunarangsi,seniorphotographer,artistandMr.SuwatAsavachaichan,managingeditorofThailand’sSarakadeemagazine,toKenya.

Thiscollectionofphotoshaspreviouslybeen displayed at the Natural Science Museum in Bangkok,Thailand,in 2015. It

showcasesthediversityofthecountryandthewayoflifethatremainslargelyunknowntotheThaipublic.

Thisisthefirsttimethatthesephotos,thereflectionofKenyanbeautyascaptured through the lens of the Thais in theirmemorablejourney,aredisplayedinKenya.ItispartofthecelebrationoftheestablishmentofdiplomaticrelationsbetweentheRepublicofKenyaandtheKingdomofThailand,whichmarksits50th years of friendship.

Below: Traditional dancers during the festivals

Kenya through the lens of the Thais

Malindi Museum hosts the MalindiInternationalArtsandCulture Extravaganza

The Malindi Museum held the Malindi Inter-nationalArtsandCul-ture Extravaganza from Friday 29th to Sunday 1st October ant the Mu-seumincollaborationwithTabakaArts,Starsand Garters and other stakeholders.

Thefirstofitskind,twoday extravaganza aimed to promote tourism in Malindi,advancetalentsinmusic,drama,anddance,provideaplat-form to promote local youngartistsinMalin-di,promoteculturalconservationthroughdiverse cultural dances and theme nights.

The event management also aimed to strengthen coexistence and consolidatepeacebuildingacrosscommunitiesinMalindi,bywayofdifferentresidentcommunitiescomingtogetherandshowcasingtheirtraditionalfood,drinks,dances,attiresandceremonies.Theextravaganzaattractedbigcrowdsofdifferentdemographicsandwasahugesuccess.

Above:CeasarMbita,SeniorCuratoroftheMalindiMuse-umposeswithanelderlywomanduringtheextravaganza

5

Competition Exhibitions

Above: Some of the art on display

The Darts team participatesintheKECOSO games

TributetoMichaelJacksonbyMartinOkothatNairobiNationalMuseum

July- September 2017

OkothisafreelancecommercialartistbasedinNairobiandKisumuwhoconceptualizesmusiconcanvas.Asaconceptualartisthetriestogiveanillustrationonwhatheperceivesthemusicianssongsareabout. Okothhasparticipatedinseveralexhibitionsincluding:–GroupShow,NationalMuseumsofKenyasupportedbyAbsoluteVodka,2012.–TupacAlleyesonme,Kenyarailwaysartgallery,2014–NobodycanstopReggae,NairobiNationalMuseum,February2015.–HipHopTHETRIBUTE,KarenVillage2016Okoth also has a keen interest in children and has made colouring books to introduce them early to art. These can be purchased online. Asanartist,hebelievesartcanchangethecourseofanationandheis keen on playing his part in this.

TheDartsteamrepresentingtheMinistry of Sports Culture and the Artstookpartinthe2017editionoftheKenyaCommunicationSportsOrganisationgames(Kecoso)whichwereheldinKisumuattheMoistadium on 15th to 23rd September.

The team emerged 6th overall out ofthe12teams.Thesportsfestivalbrings together Kenyan parastatals incommunication,ICTandtransportsectors and parent Ministries of Transport,InfrastructureandICTandyouthandsportsaffairs.

Seatedfromleft:BashirJibirie,PhilipKangethe,EdwardNjagi (team manager) and Hezron LangatStandingfromright:StephenNg’ang’a,CollinsMelubo,BenekaMwololo,FrancisThuoandJoelMwaura

TheNairobiGalleryheldatwodayartmentorshipworkshopforyoungadultsontheweekendof22ndand23rdSeptember2017.Thethemeoftheworkshopwasrevivingancientartandculture. It entailed the art of carving or incising calabashes and paintings.Theworkshopaimedataddingqualityandsuste-nancetoKenyantraditionalskillsorartformsaswellastrainingyoungartiststouseenvironmentallyfriendlymaterialsinartforsustainability.

TheartistsexaminedsomeofthegourdsexhibitedintheNai-robigallerywhichweredonebyearlyKambaartists.TheartistsdisplayedtheircompleteartworkattheverandahoftheNairobigalleryfortwodaysandthisservedasanattractionforvisitors.AfollowupprogramwillbedoneinNovember2017.

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Youngartistsparticipateinmentorship program- Reviving ancient art and culture

Above: Art Curator, Lydia Galavu men-tors the young artists in attendance

Below: Young artists prepare gourds for incising and painting

7 July- September 2017

Hecame,hesaw,hepioneeredthereligionofChristianityandlaidthefoundationsofWesterncivilizationandcolonizationinKenyaandEastAfrica.

HearrivedinMombasain1844withtheapprovaloftheSultanofZanzibarhopingtoestablishamissionamongst the tribes inland from the East Coast.

Dr.ludwigKrapfandhisfellowGermanJohannesRebmannarealsocreditedwithfeatsincludingbeingthefirstEuropeanstoseeMt.KenyaandMt.Kilimanjaro.

The iconic portrait that has been the hallmark of an exhibitiondubbed‘fromthekayatothecrossattheRabaiMuseumtogetherwithaccompanyingartifactshasbeenrelocatedtopavewayfortherehabilitationoftheMuseumandRebmanncottage.

ThiswasdisclosedbytheActingPrincipalCurator,MsFatmaTwahirduringastakeholdersbriefingheldatthe site.

“This is a temporary measure and as soon as the rehabilitationworksareoverDr,Kraphwillmakeacomebackinanewreloadedexhibitionwhoseresearchworkisongoing”,shesaid.

She thanked the German Embassy for extending its financialsupporttowardstherehabilitationofthe

RabaiMuseumandRebmanncottage.Theworksincludere-roofing,flooring,internalandexternalplasteringaswellasfixingofdoors,windowsandtheceilings.

“TheimprovedMuseumwillshowcasemoreexcitingexhibitionsaboutthehistoryofChristianityandWesterneducationinKenyawhileRebmanncottagewillbeusedasaconferencefacility”concludedMs,Fatma.

Dr. Kraph relocates

Above: Ongoing construction at the Rabai Museum and Rebmann cottage

EDITORIAL TEAM

Editor: Sharon Kyungu

Compilation,Design&Layout:Daniel Maina

Photography: EbrahimMwangi,SteveOkoko,FatmaTwahir

Contributors:JulianaJebet,TukaiShelel,CyroseMbithe&IreneWam-bugu

Foranyinformationkindlycontactpublicrelations@museums.or.ke

The AffordableArtShow

2017

Friday-Sunday,27-29OctoberNairobiNationalMuseum

FormerAdministrationBuildingCourtyard

Allartpricedunder100,000KshOpening Party – Friday 6:00-9:00pm

500 Ksh entry fee – includes: Complimentarydrink,bitingsandentertainment

ShowcontinuesSatandSun-10am-4pmNo entry fee

Saturday–10:00amChildren’s(6-12yrs)ArtAppreciationandProductionActivitySaturday–2:00pmYoungPatrons(18-30yrs)ArtAppreciationMeetUp

PleaseregisterforbothactivitiesinadvanceKenyaMuseumSociety–0724255299,info@kenyamuseumsociety.org

NairobiNationalMuseumNigerianFestivalExhibition1st October – 30thNovember2017,creativitygallery

RecentworksbyJohnSilver6th – 31st

October2017,temporarygallery

Safari: In search of latent talent by EmmanuelKariuki,temporarygallery10th- 31st October 2017

KenyaArtsDiaryartexhibition23rd October to 4thNovember2017,cultural dynamism gallery

Upcoming Events