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South African Museums Association Bulletin
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South African Museums Association Bulletin: The Second-Hand Goods Act as
[in]capable guardian to address the trade in cultural property of
questionable origin in South Africa
Authors: Benson; Bernadine
Abstract: The theft and re-introduction of stolen heritage items from museums and galleries into the legal trade poses a significant challenge to law enforcement authorities in South Africa. The Second-Hand Goods Act 6 of 2009 came into operation in April 2012 and one of its primary purposes is to combat the ongoing crime of dealing in stolen property and its re-introduction into the legal market through dealers in second-hand goods. This paper will focus on this Act as a law enforcement tool with which to address property crimes such as theft and the receipt of stolen goods, with specific reference to cultural property. To this end, the relevant sections of Chapter I of the Second-Hand Goods Act will be discussed. The paper will also address here the deficiencies of those sections that pertain to the monitoring of dealers of heritage objects. The legislative inefficiency will be highlighted by means of a comparison with qualitative data collected from antique dealers and auctioneers specialising in heritage objects. Quantitative data that reflect trade between role players from 2006 - 2010 indicate that almost half of the role players in the market are private individuals who do not have to register in terms of the legislation. The registration of dealers who trade in second-hand goods is similarly problematic. In conclusion it will be demonstrated that sections of the Act will need to be revisited in order to investigate how amendments could enhance the competency of the Second-Hand Goods Act as the 'legal guardian' of stolen property, and as a means of reducing museum heritage crime. Based on the Routine Activities Theory, it can be argued that the Second-Hand Goods Act symbolises the 'guardian' of the goods, and in this case is deemed an incompetent and [in]capable guardian.
PubDate: 2016-11-03T08:39:53Z
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Celebrating 60 years of the
Freedom Charter : the identification of two signed copies of the Freedom
Charter that forms part of the National Estate
Authors: Isaacs; Regina, Van der Merwe, Barend
Abstract: The Freedom Charter is a document of monumental historical and political significance in South Africa as it was a statement of core principles as a founding document of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress and its allies. It can be argued that the spirit and ethos of the Freedom Charter pervades the entire constitutional settlement that ended apartheid and brought into being a democratic post-apartheid South Africa. As a historical document that pioneered the call for a non-racial and democratic South Africa, the Freedom Charter is considered as one of the foundations of South Africa's constitution and its constitutional democracy. The Freedom Charter is also of international significance as it voiced the ideals of an oppressed people in their commitment to human dignity. Although it was adopted on 26 June 1955, there remains much debate as to how the final version was actually drawn up and who exactly the authors of the final Freedom Charter were. This deliberation was triggered by a permit application received by the South African Heritage Resources Agency to export a signed copy of the Freedom Charter. This matter became more pressing when the South African Heritage Resources Agency recognised that a signed copy of the Freedom Charter would be deemed a heritage object worthy of declaration. Therefore, research was carried out to establish the whereabouts of the original Freedom Charter, and whether or not such a historical document actually existed. This paper provides an overview of the issues that have emerged as a result of an export permit application for a copy of the Freedom Charter that is deemed to be of national significance. The process of investigation on the earliest copies of the Freedom Charter and the intention to protect the two known signed copies of the Freedom Charter as specifically declared heritage objects opened a range of important questions relating to the protection of objects deemed to be part of the National Estate.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Herbaria and botanical gardens
as tools for plant diversity, taxonomy and conservation education : a case
study from the Albany Museum Herbarium
Authors: Cimi; Phumlani V., Campbell, Eileen E.
Abstract: The knowledge of plant diversity and taxonomy and how these are applied for conservation education is essential to maintain natural resources for future generations. Public awareness about biodiversity and the environment, as well as their importance for sustainable development is not widespread in South Africa. The South African school curriculum gives educators the freedom to expand basic concepts and to design and organise learning experiences according to their local circumstances and availability of resources. This paper advocates conservation education through the use of local herbaria and botanical gardens as a source of information using the Albany Museum Herbarium in Grahamstown as a case study.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Museums, communication and
literacy : the education programme at the Iziko South African Museum, Cape
Authors: Rall; Medee
Abstract: In post-apartheid South Africa museums have been challenged with the need to transform. This was done in various ways, in exhibition displays and education. Post 1994 one of the challenges facing the museum profession included a high illiteracy rate amongst adults in the country. The Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town took up this challenge by initiating and running an adult literacy programme using the museum displays. Since South Africa has a very high illiteracy rate, the museum was chosen as a site for teaching literacy, using the collections and displays as source material for teaching. In this paper the educational programmes and materials that were produced as part of this adult literacy programme are highlighted and discussed. Museums are primarily regarded as vital educational institutions and such museum education should be located within communication theory which has, over time, evolved from a transmission model of communication to one where the receiver of the message is no longer considered an empty vessel to be filled with information but is able to interpret the message that is communicated via prior knowledge. It is emphasised that museums are multimodal and that they communicate through objects, written texts, artefacts and images. As educational institutions they can be used creatively to further literacy education for adult learners.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Adapt or die : the dynamic and
flexible role Freedom Park can play in a diverse and variable South Africa
Authors: Marx; Lauren
Abstract: From its inception Freedom Park in Pretoria has distinguished itself from traditional South African museums and memorials with the vision to be a leading national and international icon of humanity and freedom that has served as a testament to the struggle against oppression of various forms, stemming from a pre-colonial era to the end of the liberation struggle in the early 1990s. After twenty years of democracy, memorialisation requires fresh and modern approaches to appeal to visitors from all walks of life, backgrounds, cultures and creeds. This is also closely linked to current debates and discourse of similarly themed museums, monuments and memorials that have since emerged after 1994. A brief background to Freedom Park is provided as a contextual overview, and it needs to remain dynamic and flexible to the demands of a changing political, economic and societal landscape in South Africa. This paper seeks to emphasise the uniqueness of Freedom Park by questioning how as a struggle site it can be relevant to all diverse societies and how the role of innovation and social responsibility are key factors for sustainability. It is demonstrated how Freedom Park can respond flexibly to changing society as well as to provide in the distinctive needs of visitors by offering a package that is different from that of other comparable sites. It is concluded that Freedom Park can adapt, remain sustainable and relevant in the future through focusing on and adopting practices to address the needs and requirements of our visitors.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Facilitating student
engagement : the University of Pretoria Archives 'Century in the News'
exhibition as a case study
Authors: Van der Merwe; Ria
Abstract: Although greater numbers of historically disadvantaged students have been registering at South African universities since the late 1980s, their rate of completion is considerably lower compared to other students. Universities are under increasing pressure to democratise in order to address racial-ethnic gaps in graduation rates and to take cognisance of the diverse needs of students from a range of cultural and social backgrounds, varying levels of education and academic potential. A solution to this problem adopted by universities world-wide is the establishment of learning communities, where students could receive additional support from the institutions where they are registered to ensure the successful completion of their degree. A key feature of most learning communities is their interdisciplinary and interactive approach to education in which they incorporate active and collaborative learning activities to engage students more effectively. When considering the type of education that is offered by archives and museums, namely a combination of active learning and personal meaning making, museums seem to be ideally placed to assist learning communities in integrating diverse academic and social activities into a meaningful whole in order to convert these experiences into authentic learning. This article will demonstrate, as a case study, how specifically the University of Pretoria Archives are used for orientation purposes in a degree programme by the Faculty of Engineering to its learning community, in order to help students acquire the additional background knowledge that may not have been available to them at school, and to develop a conceptual understanding of key concepts in their discipline which would enable them to complete their degrees successfully.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Museums and democratic
education : how museums were transformed after the 1994 elections in South
Authors: Mdanda; Sipho
Abstract: South Africa's heritage may be classified according to three main periods, namely colonial, apartheid and democratic. The beginning of democracy brought into discourse a new narrative imbued with reconciliation, social cohesion and nation building. This paper interrogates the process whereby the Government of National Unity opted to attempt to recontextualise and re-interpret previous colonial and apartheid monuments to include the narratives of Africans. Examples in this paper address the Anglo-Boer War Museum and the National Women's Monument in Bloemfontein as well as the Anglo-Boer War Memorial (Arch Angel Monument) at the Ditsong National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg. Against the backdrop of Legacy Projects, the periodisation and challenge of complex heritage narratives, and the gesture of assimilating old institution into new has been contested by various scholars. This paper further raises issues about whether the renaming of museums or 'filling the gaps' of monuments or memorials is the best way to achieve reconciliation, social cohesion and nation building.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Mollusc collections making
connections at the East London Museum: a narrative
Authors: Cole; Mary
Abstract: The Malacology collection of the East London Museum is among the major museum collections of molluscs in South Africa. The dry and wet collections contain over 21 000 accessioned records, and probably over 100 000 specimens. Marjory Courtenay-Latimer's family collections, including their shells, formed the core of the newly established East London Museum in the early 1930s. The first Conchologist, Dennis Harper Kennelly, was appointed part-time in 1962. Together with Marjory Courtenay-Latimer, he established the Border Shell Club, the local branch of the Conchological Society of southern Africa. Over the years the museum shell curators played an active role in the club and many members contributed greatly to the museum collections by offering their expertise and voluntary assistance, and donating specimens. In 2000, focus shifted from marine shells to land snails and annual collaborative collecting trips involving the East London Museum, the Border Shell Club and the KwaZulu-Natal Museum to document the snails of Transkei and other parts of the Eastern Cape took place for many years. New species were named after several people to acknowledge their contribution to Malacology. Landowners, managers of reserves and field rangers were educated about this aspect of the fauna while helping to collect. A project revising a genus of snail has provided far-reaching opportunities for connections to be made including a visit to the Natural History Museum in London, to examine type specimens, and the presentation of a paper at the World Congress of Malacology in the Azores, where contact was made with Malacologists working on this family elsewhere in Africa.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Museums, archives and medical
material in South Africa : some ethical considerations
Authors: Keene; Rochelle, Parle, Julie
Abstract: In South Africa, as elsewhere, museums, archives and other institutions often house large and growing quantities of medically-related records. This paper draws attention to some of the complex issues concerning these materials such as the process of collecting and accessioning the material into public, museum or archive collections. The paper also explores the legal situation of their status within these collections, the lack of appropriate national protocols and guidelines for access to and the use of medical records for research purposes, as well as some of the problems encountered by researchers and historians in using such material. Moreover, the current guidelines used by biomedical professional bodies are seldom of assistance. Some specific problems which need to be considered are elucidated as researchers and historians try to find a balance between the right to privacy and confidentiality on the one hand, and the right of access to information on the other. This challenge is becoming more pressing in the face of the new requirements of the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act. We conclude that it is imperative that new guidelines are drawn up regarding medical and related material and suggest that the South African Museums Association should take the initiative in this endeavour.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: SAHRIS as a tool for
reporting, tracking and managing cases of heritage crime in South Africa
Authors: Smuts; Kathryn
Abstract: This paper presents the issue of heritage crime in South Africa, with special reference to its prevalence and causes, and the response by heritage institutions such as museums and galleries as well as the South African Police Services (SAPS). The international structures that record and respond to heritage crime will be reviewed and compared with those available locally. The South African Heritage Resources Information System, SAHRIS, will be presented as a means for co-ordinating responses to heritage crimes. SAHRIS was developed as a national, online heritage management tool and heritage resource database by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA). The system has three primary functions, namely as an integrated system for processing permit and development applications, a national heritage sites repository and a national collections management system. SAHRIS makes use of open source software and is freely available for use by the public and government heritage officers. In a development that bridges the heritage management and collections management functions, SAHRIS is able to record heritage crimes in a way that captures all details about the stolen heritage object as well as the details about the crime itself. The system connects the stakeholders involved in the process of reporting, investigating and prosecuting heritage crimes by way of a centralised system that functions as a database of stolen heritage objects. This then serves as a collated repository for the recording and analysis of crime information, as well as a network for investigators to facilitate collaboration. The creation of this centralised, integrated system combined with the existing digital collections repository, meets the identified gaps in the existing systems and procedures for securing heritage objects in South African collections through proper, digitised inventorying as well as reporting, tracking and monitoring crimes when they happen.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Literary letters : a
discussion of selected email correspondence between Yvonne Vera and Derek
Authors: Stevens; Mariss
Abstract: This paper maps the evolution of letters, discusses their importance as a means of communication and examines the advent of email correspondence and its effect on the art of letter writing. It gives a glimpse into the literary letters held in the manuscript collection at the National English Literary Museum focussing on a selection of personal correspondence between two literary personalities. A brief biography is given of the Zimbabwean writer Yvonne Vera (1964-2005) followed by an excerpt of her email correspondence to demonstrate the value of authors' letters for literary research.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A vision for museums in South
Africa : a review of policy proposals
Authors: Vollgraaff; Helene
Abstract: Taking the Arts and Culture Task Group (ACTAG 1995) report as a point of departure, this paper reviews the transformation of museums by comparing the proposals and progress towards the implementation of museum-related policies. Few of the ACTAG recommendations have been implemented and even then, not very successfully. Recent policy initiatives such as the draft Policy Framework for National Museums are grappling with the same problems as ACTAG in 1995. At the same time, museum professionals also have to deal with a perceived hostile environment and governmental structures that do not take sufficient cognisance of museum specific professional issues. This paper aims to articulate a vision and way forward for museums by reviewing governmental as well as interest group-based policy proposals.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Integrating the human and
natural sciences : a two dimensional literary and organisational approach
to collections making connections
Authors: Williams; Belinda R.
Abstract: Collections in all its forms and formats serve as a basis for the origin, embryotic development and construction of ideas, thoughts, knowledge, information and research patterns and outputs of numerous disciplines. In this paper, the concepts of New Historicism and Organisational Culture are explained as effective tools that connect the disciplines of Human Sciences and Natural Sciences. Both approaches serve as a stimulus for ongoing communication between groups and individuals. The sciences themselves become seamless as associations and groupings of related aspects are identified. Links, connections and research patterns with which individuals and groups can identify and associate are indicated. With the concept of New Historicism, events and ideas are placed in a specific cultural context and on the other hand, Organisational culture attracts and links collectors and collections.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Social Cohesion versus
Coercion : how Freedom Park seeks to unite South Africans through
Inclusive Nationalism, SAMAB 27 (2014) : pp. 8-12 : erratum
Abstract: Social Cohesion versus Coercion : how Freedom Park seeks to unite South Africans through Inclusive Nationalism, SAMAB 27 (2014) : pp. 8-12 : erratum
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The Bo-Kaap Museum :
challenges of community, identity and representation in a changing society
Authors: Tichmann; Paul
Abstract: The Bo-Kaap Museum is situated on the slopes of Signal Hill and is located in one of the oldest buildings in the area. The house was built in 1769 and is an example of early Cape Dutch architecture. To provide a brief background, the Bo-Kaap area developed from the 1780s and was an area that housed artisans from Europe and a number of people who were referred to as 'Free Blacks'. 'Free Blacks' was the name used for freed political prisoners (the majority of whom were from the Indonesian Islands), freed convicts and freed slaves. The 'Free Blacks' included many artisans and fishermen. With the emancipation of slaves many of the freed slaves moved into the Bo-Kaap area. So the history of Bo-Kaap is closely linked to the story of slavery at the Cape, the development of Islam, and the implementation of apartheid. Some of the literature on the history of Bo-Kaap suggest that the area was mainly Muslim by the middle of the 19th century and imply that it was the 'traditional home of the Cape Malays'. However, Fabio Todeschini challenges what he calls the 'orthodox historical view' that the Bo-Kaap was predominantly Muslim from around 1850. He points out that the respected historian Achmat Davids, himself a Muslim and Bo-Kaap resident, stated that Bo-Kaap's population had always been mixed and that 'the poor of all races had shared a common home there.' According to Todeschini, in the 1940s less than 40 per cent of Bo-Kaap's population was Muslim.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Museums in a changing world :
overview of the conference theme
Abstract: The 76th SAMA National Conference was held in the picturesque and historic town of Paarl from the 30th October to 1st November 2012. The conference organisers chose the 2012 International Museum Day theme, 'Museums in a changing world,' to debate the following issues.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Redefining the role of museums
in heritage practice
Abstract: Change is not new. Museums are always evolving, always adapting to changing circumstances. This paper will look at the four challenges facing museums in a changing environment. More specifically, the paper is presented from the perspective of the broader heritage sector and indicates that museums are placed at the fringes of this sector.. Furthermore, it argues that the museum sector in South Africa lacks a coordinated strategy and fails to address its distinctive attributes, such as collections and research, in developing such a framework. Ironically, by not tackling the issue of survival in this way, the sector may bring about its own demise.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The emancipation of the
African voice in the curation of the //hapo exhibition at Freedom Park
Abstract: During the second phase of the Freedom Park project a permanent exhibition or museum was established. It has been given the name //hapo which derives from a Khoi proverb '//hapo ge //hapo tama /haohasib dis tamas ka I bo', meaning a dream is not a dream until it is shared by the entire community.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: South Africa and the
international SPECTRUM of museum standards
Authors: Gibson; Laura Kate
Abstract: At present South Africa does not have an accreditation scheme or set standards with which its museums must comply to secure such recognition. Certainly, establishing and monitoring an accreditation scheme is a time consuming process, as is developing and implementing standards within museums. Yet, this paper suggests that in spite of such logistical constraints, stricter adherence to international museum standards and the introduction of an accreditation scheme that encourages this practice would bring numerous benefits to South Africa's museums. These advantages extend beyond ensuring that museum collections are carefully preserved and well managed. They also offer possibilities for professionalising our sector, attracting competent young people to pursue a long-term career in museums and for making South Africa a more active player within the international museum community. This paper argues, moreover, that South Africa might consider adopting the already established and internationally recognised SPECTRUM standard for museum collections management as the basis for developing a future accreditation scheme.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A perspective on the
interpretation of cultural heritage in post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Benson; Bernadine, Prinsloo, Johan
Abstract: The interpretation of legislation influences the way in which decisions are made and implemented. Similarly when cultural heritage items fall prey to crime, the incidents have to be reported and the police officials recording them will need to interpret the term cultural heritage as well. Interpretation may occur consciously or subconsciously. To understand some of the primary factors influencing it, extensive literature on the subject of interpretation was researched.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Growing up on the museum mile
: introducing the heritage project of the Cape Town Holocaust Centre
Authors: Singer; Michal
Abstract: As the first centre of its kind on the African continent, the Cape Town Holocaust Centre has provided an educational model for the study of history and human rights in South Africa since 1999. It now serves as the national base for the South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation, with global reach. In this regard, and myriad other ways, the Cape Town Holocaust Centre has certainly 'grown up' over the past thirteen years. Over this time, the infrastructure of the organization has strengthened in both its capacity and scope, and in July 2011, a new Heritage Project was introduced to help create new channels for research and memorialisation.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Introducing the South African
Heritage Resources Information System (SAHRIS)
Authors: Wiltshire; Nicholas
Abstract: SAHRA has developed Version 1 of the South African Heritage Resources Information System, commonly known as SAHRIS. Development of the system began in January 2012 using the Drupal Content Management System platform in line with SAHRA's overall adoption of free open-source software. Version 1 covers heritage case management and is integrated with the National Inventory of Sites and Objects. The system has been tested and used by SAHRA's staff since May 2012 and is being rolled out in phases throughout the course of the year.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The first 'green' museum in
Authors: Thomas; Beverley
Abstract: Many museums in South Africa are housed in old buildings that have been adapted for use as museums, so the chance to plan a museum building from scratch is both exciting and challenging. A new building is an opportunity to get everything right, from the start, but optimal museum conditions are potential guzzlers of materials, energy and water and the environment is not necessarily comfortable for staff. The National English Literary Museum's new building will be the first 'green' museum (certified by the Green Building Council of SA) in South Africa.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Enabling museums to benefit
from the mobile revolution
Authors: Layton; Roger
Abstract: We have been engaged in a number of projects and activities in the 'digital heritage', combining computers with museums, libraries and archives. This included digitisation and the development of digitisation strategies, policy development and collection management systems. We have now shifted our focus onto improving the visitor experience in museums using mobile technologies as well as improving communications between the museums and its stakeholders in a variety of ways. I share some of these with you in this short paper.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Preface
Authors: Snel; Catherine
Abstract: The South African Museums Association Bulletin (SAMAB) is the professional journal of the South African Museums Association (SAMA), and is the only museology journal in the country. This Bulletin gives museums, heritage professionals and scholars the opportunity to engage in related topics of a scientific nature and is an important tool for the transfer of information to the broader museum milieu.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Fascinating history : giving
meaning to lifelong learning
Authors: Paterson; Hamish
Abstract: To place Ditsong National Museum of Military History's Outreach Programme it is useful to consider the formative influences which have gone into making the programme. The first consideration was to break free from the assumption that the Outreach Programme is solely for school learners. While we handle groups from pre-school to post-retirement adults, the focus of this paper is on visitors after they leave school.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Being the future solution for
education : the Two Oceans Aquarium Environmental Education Centre ... a
Authors: Stevens; Russell
Abstract: Museums, environmental education centres, zoos, science centres and aquariums are challenged to look to the future and consider what form they will take ten years from now. We are tasked to reflect and evolve. As we do so, we consider the challenges we face such as increased transport costs and changed demands from education departments. It is critical for our practitioners to seek and find solutions for the future. In this paper the adaptations made by the Two Oceans Aquarium will be compared to our marine animals and their journey of evolution; that is to adapt to pressures from predators, changing habitats, changes in diet and fitting into a niche.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Letter from the Editor
Abstract: I was introduced to SAMA in 1998 as a police official. It seems a lifetime ago. Since my first SAMA conference as a 'newbie' in Berg-en-Dal, I have experienced nothing but gracious friendliness and collegiality from the museum-folk. Originally from a policing background, and now in academia, the museum fraternity has always embraced my presence with their own unique style of hospitality.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Ridwan Laher Nytagodien (1964
- 2014) : in memoriam
Authors: Morris; David
Abstract: Professor Ridwan Laher (also known as Ridwan Laher Nytagodien), political scientist and at the time of his death a Research Associate with the McGregor Museum, Kimberley, died suddenly in Kimberley on 2 July 2014. He was born in Johannesburg on 5 June 1964, but grew up in Kimberley after his parents moved there in the early 1970s. He recalled how his politics were formed at that period under the influence of Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) leader, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (1924-1978), who was a close family friend. Sobukwe had been banished to Kimberley and was under house-arrest after spending six years on Robben Island as a political prisoner.
inclusive nationalism
Abstract: South Africa has evolved from a colony to a free and democratic state, thus resulting in the emergence of numerous post-apartheid institutions that balanced often skewed heritage monuments and institutions. Over the years, the heritage of the majority of South Africans had been suppressed and undermined. With the advent of democracy, South Africa has since seen an emergence of new museums and interpretative centres, aimed at ensuring equal representation of previously marginalised groups. Primary to this approach, issues of identity, social cohesion and nation building as espoused by the current government are explored. The paper will focus on the conceptualisation and creation of Freedom Park, drawing on the speeches of the three democratically elected presidents to argue that the current democratic government's approach to social cohesion has been the key to the creation of new heritage institutions and national symbols. Over the years Pretoria has been a seat of Afrikaner nationalism and power. The decision by the new government to locate and build Freedom Park on the south side of the city can be seen as creating a new post-apartheid discourse about the role played by this administrative city.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Reflection on the politics of
memory, race and confrontation at the McGregor Museum
Authors: Nytagodien; Ridwan Laher
Abstract: On August 12, 2012, President Jacob Zuma called for the decolonisation and urgent transformation of museums in South Africa. His remarks came during a speech at the reburial of Klaas and Trooi Pienaar in Kuruman in the Northern Cape. This occasion marked the intersection of memory as struggle and the post-apartheid directive to confront South Africa's past. Klaas and Trooi Pienaar are Khoisan descendants whose bodies were removed from their graves and taken to Vienna, Europe by Austrian scientist Dr Rudolph Pöch in 1909. The science that Rudolph Pöch advocated sought to advance the dubious notions of race and racial hierarchy common in that period. President Zuma used the occasion to call for a critical examination of the legacy of race as science and the relationship that contemporary museums have to that thinking. The President warned that no South African should be considered a 'colonial object' and that museums must foster 'heritage and expertise which respect all peoples and cultures'. It was a decisive comment that raises a host of questions about the content and manner of transformation in the museum sector. This paper aims to contribute to a conversation about the role of post-apartheid museums through a case-specific discussion of personal experiences at the McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa. It is couched in Post-Colonialism and Critical Race Theory and uses a narrative methodology. A key concern is how to make the past known as a means of advancing the democratic values of accountability, inclusion, equality, and justice. In a nation-state still struggling to redefine itself these values are mostly aspirational and it raises difficult questions about the nature of confronting the past in museums. This brings the analyses to a final key concern and that is the role of the state and its influence on the politics of memory in museums.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The Biesje Poort rock
engraving site : a case study on issues in conservation, research and
outreach in the southern Kalahari
Abstract: Biesje Poort, north west of Upington is situated in a range of hills where clusters of rock panels are festooned with rock engravings dating from the Later Stone Age. They have been studied on and off since the 1960s but recently were the focus for a joint engagement by academics and non-specialists from museum, university and Kalahari community contexts, and supported by funding from the National Heritage Council (NHC). One result of the project is a book under the title Engraved Landscape - Biesje Poort: Many Voices. The project highlights important issues with respect to conservation of rock engravings, research and outreach. Two recent policy documents, i.e. the South African Strategy for the Palaeosciences (DST) and the Revised White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (DAC), are used to frame the discussion.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Storytelling at Freedom Park :
//hapo Interactive Space
Authors: Mdlalose; Nomusa
Abstract: The debate of bridging the gap between tangible and intangible heritage is long overdue and necessary as it has implications on museums and heritage sites, which are agents of intangible heritage and the public as a whole. While heritage institutions are covertly and primarily concerned with the preservation of tangible heritage that tells the people's history, storytelling also plays a role of telling and preserving the history of a people. It is therefore fitting to merge the two within the realm of museums. Storytelling is also a resource, not only for communicating history but for social cohesion, reconciliation and much more. From its inception, storytelling in general has been known for its ability to bring community, family and individuals together. On the other hand, orality or oral communication is also a form of cultural memory and it is critical in restoring a sense of collective identity. It is within this context that this paper explores the broad use of storytelling at Freedom Park.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Museum practice - rooted in
Abstract: Two streams of thought are brought together in this paper, namely the emphasis on museums as social agents in terms of traditional museum functions and the search for the concept of an African museum. This paper is also the result of the author's involvement in a number of International Council of Museums (ICOM) projects over the last few years, as well as involvement and discussions in the drafting of the National Museum Policy Framework. The concept of museums as agents of social change has directed museum activities towards public programmes, including exhibitions with a social or political message. It will be argued that museums are not only rooted in geographical space, but also in social and cultural space that reflect contemporary values and attitudes of those inhabiting that space. The above issues will be addressed within the context of the African space. African concepts will be contextualised within global approaches as discussed at the ICOM General Conference which took place in August 2013 in Rio de Janeiro.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The river as an artefact :
interpreting the Groot Marico and its people in the 21st century
Authors: Tempelhoff; Johann, Gouws, Claudia, Motloung, Sysman
Abstract: The catchment of the Groot Marico River in the North West Province has for centuries been a highly desirable tract of land for human settlement purposes. In many respects the river and its valuable water supplies, situated in a semi-arid region of South Africa, is an artefact that has been changed by human hands in the course of long history. Recently local residents were once again made aware of how important the river is for their existence when a mine prospecting company started exploring the catchment region for potential deposits of nickel. Geologists had been surveying the region for probably as long as three years before the local residents were told that the search was on for mineral deposits in a region that had become a desirable place of weekend residence for professional people from Gauteng. Civil society was mobilised to take strong stand against the 'evil' agents of mining activities. Once local residents organised themselves into activist groups, they sought support from previously disadvantaged people resident in the local informal settlement at Groot Marico, to support their case. For a number of understandable reasons the locals were not of the same intent as local property owners. They saw job prospects in the area. Only once the activists started explaining to the people and brought them into the ambit of negotiations, did the previously disadvantaged people realise what they stood to lose. This paper deals with aspects of an ethnic class divide in the local community. It is argued that in order to get all the residents to appreciate the river as an important artefact that needs to be protected and used responsibly, there is a need to develop a space of social learning where different forms of communication strategies are used to make people aware of the importance of the river and that it needs to be nurtured and protected for posterity.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: 74th Annual Conference -
presidential address
Authors: Mbhokodo; Ishmael
Abstract: Ladies and gentlemen,. I would like to add my acknowledgment to the royal Zulu Kingdom in this province; to their elders, past and present. I also want to recognize distinguished guests here today.
Authors: McFadden; Pam
Abstract: Welcome to the 74th South African Museums Association Conference.. The theme of the conference this year "MUSEUMS IN ACTION: To 2010 and Beyond" was chosen for a number of reasons. Why shouldn't SAMA also hop on the 2010 soccer ball?
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Moving towards one story :
interpretation through integration - applying theory to practice -
integration through a database : heritage management
Authors: Hisham; Lailah
Abstract: With this massive task of integrating the collections into new 'physical' storage spaces and systems, yet another challenge was presented; that of simultaneously entering these objects into a digital collections management database. Identifying the issues, which had to be taken into account, to resolve this dilemma, proved to be quite a task? Challenging us to rethink how we would go about using the available technology to migrate the hand written registration records to a digital format and ultimately enabling a wider scope of retrieval to reflect the information of the diverse Social History collection.
interpretation through integration : heritage management
Authors: Ramncwana; Babalwa, Hisham, Leilah
Abstract: The presentation will be concerned with the amalgamation of the former South African Cultural History Museum collections and the South African Museum African Studies (ethnographic) collections, and the creation of the Iziko Social History Collections Department. A part of the story is major refurbishment of the National Mutual Building on Church Square, Cape Town, which necessitated the packing up of all the collections, interim storage arrangements, and finally during 2010 the move of all the collections to the building, now known as the Iziko Social History Centre. The move was a carefully managed operation, which will be described. At ISHC the important issue of the integration of the formerly separate collections will be addressed.. The considerations in achieving this will be outlined. Ultimately, this will create greater access and facilitate new ways of looking at the collections, opening up possibilities for re-interpretation of the collections for research, exhibition and education.. The presentation will highlight some of the issues shared by many museums faced with diverse collections and histories of presentation, and will allow an examination of proposed corrective action.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Transformation of the Northern
Flagship Institution (nfi) and its constituent museums : an overview :
Authors: Makgolo; Makgolo
Abstract: The launch of the new name for the Northern Flagship Institution (NFI) viz. DITSONG Museums of South Africa (DITSONG) and its constituent museums, in particular the Transvaal Museum, is now a reality. It nevertheless marks a milestone in the ongoing transformation process of heritage institutions in South Africa. This name change is not an exercise of aesthetics, but an introspection of more that three years to find a name relevant and meaningful to museums.. The institution is an amalgamation of eight national museums. These museums are the custodians of diverse collections, covering the fields of fauna and flora, palaeontology, entomology, herpetology, military history, cultural history, geology, anthropology, archaeology and art.. We hope that with the new brand and new organizational structure, our institution will be able to live up to its vision of being a leading African heritage institution of excellence, accessible to all. This achievement will remain a legacy for many years to come, not only for me but for the entire team that ensured its success - management and staff of DITSONG, as well as the council that provided guidance.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: My expectations and thoughts
of museums : novice speakers
Authors: September; Janine
Abstract: As a young adult my perceptions of museums were very vague. Museums for me seemed boring and uninviting a place where young people will spend less time because museums are offering few tactile experiences they might enjoy. In my opinion museums were one-sided and structured for older people and their interest.. Once I started working at the Afrikaanse Taalmuseum, museums started to have new meaning to me. It has definitely proved me wrong. I suddenly realized it is a place with loads of excitement, especially in the manner in which their exhibitions are portrayed. The Afrikaanse Taalmuseum for example portrays its theme in a very interactive way where visitors can have hands on learning experience of Afrikaans.. My perceptions of museums have changed drastically since. My goal is to make my peers, who have the same misconception of museums aware of the fact that museums are an integral part of our heritage.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Time travel : education,
opportunities and educational resources
Authors: Sole; Mark
Abstract: Bridging Ages is an International Organisation and the 'mother body' controlling Time Travels. The National body will endeavour to introduce this concept throughout the country.. This paper will give a small introduction to the origins of Time Travel, where Time Travel is in South Africa today and then concentrate on guiding interested persons who wish to introduce this concept into their Museums.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Heritage and museums : scope,
roles and responsibilities : heritage management
Authors: Jacobson; Leon, Baillie, Giselle
Abstract: The question of what exactly constitutes 'Heritage' will be discussed. Is it simply community and identity affirmation through museum displays and job creation in the tourism sector or can it also play a role in skills development in museum based conservation? The latter was once an important element in museum practice but needs to be reintroduced formally into a strong and rigorous science-based program.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The Nicholson Diaries - an
Anglo-Boer War gem : research and research resources
Authors: Coghlan; Mark
Abstract: This paper on the Nicholson Diaries will discuss a remarkable record of the Anglo-Boer War, one that begins in September 1899 and continues through several years of war, on a daily basis, to conclude in July 1902. This account will place this story in the context of research and collecting within the Museums in Action conference theme. The Nicholson family history will be detailed and the story of the diaries will be noted in the context of the diary historiography of the Anglo-Boer War in Natal. The story of the diary itself will be told, from its composition during the Anglo-Boer War through the process of transcribing and editing, and on to the proposed publication in book form in 2010. The bulk of the paper will comprise extracts from the diary entries so as to illustrate aspects of the chronicle that place this document at the forefront of records of the war in Natal. Hopefully military history and Museology will meet in an exciting and informative manner. The Nicholson Diaries will, it is suggested, emerge as a true treasure of knowledge that will be added to the nation's military history knowledge base.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A case study : the meaning of
folk songs in the Kamiesberg, Northern Cape : research and research
Abstract: The Afrikaans Language Museum is involved in a folklore project based on the verbal expressions of the people from Kamiesberg in Namaqualand, the Northern Cape. Over the past few years, community leaders discovered that the language of most of the communities have been extinct. For the project to be successful it was therefore important to approach the community with regards to an oral history research project. Between June 2007 and July 2008 approximately 160 interviews were conducted in fourteen towns. Educational programmes were also presented to grade 6 and 7 learners in these towns.. The emphasis of this paper is on the folk songs which were recorded in the area. It was realized that the folk songs are peculiar to the region and that each song has special meaning to the people. It was also notable that every song tells a story.. The paper will further focus on the meaning of these songs as well as their preservation. Through this study, specific community historical characteristics were identified which explain the value and importance of these songs.. The preservation of this priceless heritage is important especially because many of these songs have been sung for generations and have been transmitted orally. Through this research we want to encourage the importance of the preservation of verbal folklore and to promote and enhance a sense of identity and pride amongst communities so that they can take pride in their own cultural heritage. Language can thus be seen as an important tool for preserving intangible heritage.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Operate your museum as a
business : museums and the financial reality
Abstract: How to finance and keep a museum running?. The continual cry we all hear is "there is no money". Your first criteria should be commitment and enthusiasm, and then 'where' and 'how' to find the funds.. Look at the financial mix that keeps Talana Museums operational. Where do our funds come from? Municipal funds; annual provincial subsidy; private partnership deals; government project funding; utilising the museum resources to provide an income; operating the museum as a business.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Leaping into the abyss : a
Authors: Garside; Vivienne
Abstract: I was born into a world where the radio had valves, the gramophone was wound up by hand and a sixty-mile trip by car necessitated a picnic stop. I have tried very hard to keep up with a world of technology that is out of date as fast as it appears, but am slowly giving up an unequal struggle. Yet, the potential for technology in the museum situation is so exciting that I was seduced by David Larsen's presentation on digitisation a few conferences ago, and leapt into space.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: From Phansi to Phezulu :
overcoming the challenges faced by a non-state funded museum : museums and
the financial reality
Authors: Mikula; Max
Abstract: This paper deals with the challenges facing a private museum in the current cultural and financial climate. The Phansi Museum will be used as a case study, discussing the issues of overcoming the lack of formal state and municipal funding, the perception of a private museum by official bodies, as well as establishing credibility amongst public, official and museum communities. Engaging communities, educational institutions and programs, fundraising issues and running the museum on a tight budget will also be dealt with.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Threats and opportunities for
museum collections in the digital era : museums and electronic realities
Authors: Larsen; David A.
Abstract: Digitisation of Museum collections in South Africa is relatively new and the impacts are yet to be fully worked out. There are certainly opportunities in making information about collections accessible, but is the investment in digitising worth the return? And what are some of the threats to collections and how do we manage those threats? What of people stealing digital facsimiles or misusing them? Many collections now are "born digital" (e. g. a sound recording on a digital recorder or a photo taken on a digital camera) and there is not an analogue version in existence, what are the implications for preservation?. The digital era has also produced the ability to produce far more files than ever before. For instance, one can easily come away from an event with hundreds of pictures, where in the past a 36 exposure film was all we took. How do we manage the plethora of production and still gather collections that have significant value? These and other questions will be explored in this engaging session which will include questions and answers.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A tribute to a colleague and a
friend Makhosi Zwane : 7 February 1951 - 28 July 2011 : obituary
Authors: Erasmus; Magda
Abstract: It is with great sadness that we learned that our dear colleague and friend, Makhosi Zwane, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday 28 July 2011.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Abstracts
Abstract: Abstracts follow for those speakers who have not submitted their papers for this publication. Contact details are provided should you wish to contact them.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A forum for school museums and
archives synopsis : visitors and partnerships
Authors: Davidge; Bev
Abstract: 'Formation of Midlands School Museums and Archives Forum; becoming aware of the existence of other school museums - description of museum and archival work at schools: Hermansburg, Epworth, Pietermaritzburg Girls High School, Hilton College, Maritzburg College, Michaelhouse, St Anne's Diocesan College, St Charles, St John's DSG, The Wykeham Collegiate and Weston College; the suggestion of a network for school-based curators and archivists; the work of the Forum, addressing needs of school museums, preserving and documenting photographs, arranging displays; the value of school museums - promoting pride in school, preserving school records for use in ceremonies and anniversaries, providing archival material for school studies. Encouraging other schools to join the Forum or to form their own: first such organization, no baggage, makes contact with professional help easier; promote the image of the school.'
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Practical museology : basics
and new concepts : President's Address
Abstract: The theme of this year's conference is a dramatic departure from previous years. In 2004, after a decade of democracy, the SAMA Conference focused on how far museums had come in responding to the needs and challenges of a democratic South Africa. We've spent the last 15 years examining what we do, why we do it, and interrogating its relevance. Are we done with this? I don't know, but this conference is about how we do it, covering all the museum disciplines from collections management to education.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: 73rd SAMA Conference : welcome
Authors: Williams; Rachel
Abstract: To the Head of Department, Mr. Mfenyana, The President of SAMA, Ms Beverley Thomas, past presidents of SAMA, Regional chairs, SAMA Councilors, Our keynote speaker, Dr. Jeremy Silvester, Museum Heads, Representatives of the South African Post Office, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: we would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you to the 73rd SAMA National Conference. The theme of this conference is: Practical Museology - basics and new concepts.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Conference photographs
Abstract: Delegates at Ice Breaker at the Campbell Collections UKZN and at the Durban Art Gallery.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Otoliths : the key to many
questions : museology in motion
Authors: Watson; Gillian
Abstract: Museum collections are as numerous and as varied as the objects that have intrigued or been coveted by humankind through the ages. Not all museum collections stand out and demand attention. Many never go on public display due to conservation issues, space restraints or sheer volume of numbers.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Practical museology : a
Namibian perspective : keynote address
Authors: Silvester; Jeremy
Abstract: Fellow Museologists! It is an honour and a great pleasure and a great opportunity to be here with you today to represent the Museums Association of Namibia and to bring greetings to you from all your colleagues working in the Museum and Heritage sector in Namibia. We are all gathered here today for one simple reason. We represent many different types of institution, but we all share the central belief that 'Museums Matter'.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The role of traditional
children's games in the context of intangible heritage : a case study :
museology in motion
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of an educational programme arranged by the Afrikaans Language Museum (ALM) for learners in grades 6 and 7. The emphasis is on children's verbal expressions that come to the fore through traditional children's games, specifically hand clapping games, circle games and those with a skipping rope. All have stories to tell whether one is ten, thirty or sixty. This programme attempts to create a platform where children are given the opportunity to tell their stories through the medium of their games. Undoubtedly a wealth of stories, rhyme, traditions and customs is contained in children's games which also convey certain messages.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: 2008 Summer Seabird Survey of
the Prince Edward Islands : museology in motion
Authors: Whittington; Philip
Abstract: The first summer survey of these islands was conducted in December 2001 to respond to a need for closer monitoring of the breeding populations of some Southern Ocean seabirds, many of which are of conservation concern (Crawford & Cooper 2003).
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Reinventing the Adler Museum
of Medicine : museology in motion
Authors: Keene; Rochelle
Abstract: In brief the Museum was established in the 1960's and grew tremendously until 2004 when circumstances, which included the need to move from several large storerooms to a much smaller space, forced us to examine the collection and actually see what it contained.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: "Timbuktu Script &
Scholarship" : behind the scenes - Part 2 : conservation aspects of the
exhibition project : museology in motion
Authors: February; Fatima
Abstract: The conservation work done in preparation for the exhibition in the Granary at the Castle of Good Hope was as follows.
Scholarship" : behind the scenes - Part 1 : background : museology in
Authors: Hooper; Lindsay
Abstract: 2008 saw the eventual culmination of years of long-planning for a South African exhibition of manuscripts from Timbuktu that Iziko Museums of Cape Town had been requested to manage. Early in 2007 I had heard Alexio Motsi and Mary Minicka of the Timbuktu Manuscripts Preservation Project speak at the UCT Summer School, and I was enthralled by the images of the ancient manuscripts and the work they were doing. Never did I think I would see Timbuktu myself, but in June 2007 I was asked to go to Timbuktu. My journey turned out to be a difficult one - and that's another story - but spending time on my own in this almost mythical, remote hot and dusty place, walking the streets and chatting to local people as much as my limited French would allow, and eventually seeing the manuscripts, was an exceptional experience that made my participation in the project very special for me.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Software as a service : a new
web-based, low-cost package for managing collections : museology in motion
Authors: Van Son; Rene
Abstract: Vernon Systems Ltd (VSL) was established in 1985 and since that time has been dedicated to developing collections management software.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: When the fish tanks leaked at
Authors: Pitman; Dorothy
Abstract: At Bayworld you never know what may be in store for you when you arrive at work. It is possible to meet a seal on the stairs, a frog in the foyer, a penguin in the passage, a leguaan in the library, or even a snake in the photocopier!
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Boxes, lists and memories :
packing the collections of Iziko Social History Collections : museology in
Authors: Tywakadi; Ntombovuyo
Abstract: I started working on contract at Iziko as a Collections Assistant on the 1st of June 2005, and on that day I was told to work at the National Mutual Building (NMB) that housed the collections of the former South African Cultural History Museum to assist with the packing of objects. I went into this old and ugly building for the first time. When I saw the condition of the building I could understand why we need to move those objects even though I had no idea how precious the objects are.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Teaching Evolution at schools
: a museum teacher's response : education, exhibition and visitor services
Authors: Lewis; Marijke
Abstract: In 2008 an Act of Parliament introduced new legislation making it mandatory for Evolution to be taught to Grades 11 and 12 learners. As with any learning area, solid groundwork should be laid at an earlier phase to help prepare learners for concepts coming later in their school careers.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The ABC of museum education :
making sure everything runs smoothly with school visits : education,
exhibition and visitor services
Authors: Howes; Sigi
Abstract: This conference has as its logo: hands, which suggests a practical approach to museology, and nothing is more hands-on than museum education. I am thus delighted to share with you my ideas for making sure that school visits to museums run smoothly. I am working on the assumption that you all consider education and public programmes to be one of your core functions. Having school groups visiting your museum can be the most satisfying and stimulating part of your public programmes. But it can also be frustrating and difficult, especially when things don't go as smoothly as planned: when schools that you have booked and prepared for don't arrive, or when you're expecting 30 but 100 arrive.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Voices within our exhibitions
: education, exhibition and visitor services
Authors: Mngqolo; Sephai
Abstract: At the beginning of this year [2009], I was invited by Dr Khanyiso Mbulawa to participate in a project; its brief - writing The history of the liberation struggle in the Northern Cape from 1850-1994. This is a project that arose as an initiative of the Northern Cape Provincial Office of the African National Congress (ANC) to record the experiences of the veterans, stalwarts and activists of our liberation struggle in the Northern Cape (Mbulawa, K. 2009:7). At first I thought it's the same old story where we are inspired to record and write the histories of the previously marginalised with usually nothing taking place after such rhetoric. I cannot be blamed because of my previous experiences of shoe-string budgets that museums are used to. Another thought that crossed my mind was; here is an acolyte with no museum background, how can he lead us? How completely wrong I was because I was soon to realise that Dr Mbulawa was a man with a vision. I was to meet a medic from exile who had a passion of his people's history and heritage. I was to join a team that was to change our museum's exhibitions, collections and our management style of doing things.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Including diverse voices from
the past : a case study of the University of Pretoria Centenary Exhibition
Abstract: Scholars agree that museums should move away from the notion of an elitist institution to a more inclusive portrayal of society in all its facets, specifically in the way in which they function, the methodology that determines the collection and the manner in which the objects in the collections are exhibited. Timothy Ambrose and Crispin Paine point out that there is a growing critical awareness of the selective portrayal of certain cultural groups and that questions are being asked about "whose culture is being portrayed and who is portraying it for whom" (Ambrose and Paine, 1993:16). Richard Sandell looks at ways in which the notion of museum as an instrument of positive social change can be harnassed, as museums can be seen to represent institutionalised exclusion (Sandell, 2002:7).
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Museums : bridges to the past
and the future : novice speakers - abstracts
Authors: Gumede; Loyiso
Abstract: Being introduced to a museum with limited practical experience was daunting, especially having undertaken the responsibilities of Education Officer. I had some theoretical background from the museological component in my Fine Arts Degree. The assistance of experienced qualified staff at the Howick Museum provided for smooth integration. It was only when involved in museum processes that the theory and ethics began to make sense.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Need for national policy on
exhumation and reburial : case studies : application of policy
Authors: Grootboom; Similo
Abstract: In traditional African communities death is an awesome experience. The only cushion against the horror of death is Africans' belief in after-life. Sometime after the funeral an ox is slaughtered as a "sending" head of household to join the ranks of the family's ancestors. After an appropriate period another ox would be slaughtered to "bring him back". Ancestors keep guard over the fortunes of the family. Ancestors are "consulted" by the family through performance of traditional rituals.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Interactive exhibits : there
is no limit : education, exhibitions and visitor services
Authors: Carstens; Marvin
Abstract: One can learn a great deal from science centre exhibitions which are usually designed in such a way that visitor participation is encouraged. They are visually interesting in that they rely on the initial 'look' of the exhibit to attract the visitor. Once the interest and attention of the visitor have been caught, and he/she is involved in the exhibit the actual scientific principle that is being shown is understood, constituting a successful exhibit. In contrast many Museum exhibits are static, often visually dull and exhibited collections of specimens, by their nature, do not allow for personal participation.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A farewell to arms :
unearthing 'buried treasure' at Lovedale Public FET College : SAMA Eastern
Cape 27th Conference and AGM
Authors: Victor; Stephanie
Abstract: In November 2009 construction workers stumbled upon a large number of historic weapons while digging foundation trenches for new classrooms at Lovedale Public F.E.T. College in King William's Town. The College halted construction in accordance with the National Heritage Resources Act of 1999. The area was cordoned off and officials from the Eastern Cape explosives unit were sent to investigate whether there was any live ammunition present in the cache. The local and national media quickly caught wind of the story and it was widely reported.
Abstract: Adderley, C. - Qualifications and Training. Booth, T. - The NISC Experience. De Kock, E. - Following Footprints. De Wet, S. - Cuadra Star Collection Management Databases. Dubula, K. - SAIAB and its Impact. Hofmeyr, G. - P E Museum Pinniped Collection. Kotsi, J. - Fascinating World of Stamps. Molapisi, M. - An Ethnographic Insight
South African Museums Association Bulletin: General report on service
medals : novice speakers - abstracts
Authors: Mntonintshi; Pumeza
Abstract: This report is a personal understanding of service medals that were awarded to members of various British, Colonial and South African regiments who participated in wars on South African soil and the two World Wars which took place in the 19th Century and first half of the 20th Century. It is based on available data and research done whilst cleaning medals in preparation for a visit of the Military History Society to the Albany Museum in May, 2009.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Notes from the workshop -
Confronting our stereotypes
Abstract: Notes from the workshop - Confronting our stereotypes. Held at Heidelberg on 21 April 1999
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Elizabeth Anne Voigt
neé Speed (26 April 1944 - 7 April 2010) : obituary
Abstract: Elizabeth Voigt, known as Liz to friends and colleagues, was born and brought up in Cape Town, where she attended the Rustenburg School for Girls in Rondebosch. She then trained as an archaeologist at the University of Cape Town from 1962, embarking on a career in which she would specialize in the study of the faunal remains which often occur in archaeological sites. Her subsequent Masters dissertation at Pretoria University (the degree was conferred cum laude) was published as a book by the Transvaal Museum under the title, Mapungubwe: an archaeozoological interpretation of an Iron Age community. Liz edited a further three books and published more than 45 scientific papers. Among the honours conferred on Elizabeth Voigt by her peers was a term as President of the South African Archaeological Society, 2000-2002. The Rotary Club of Kimberley South, recognized her contribution to its many charitable programmes, by making her a Paul Harris Fellow.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A report on the South African
Zoological Collections audit - 1998 : exploring museum collections
Authors: Taylor; P.J., Hamer, M.
Abstract: This initiative was born of the need for a "Zoological Collections Audit" to precede a formal national systematics funding proposal, as explicitly agreed at a meeting involving 40 South African scientific institutions in Cape Town following the 24th South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) Meeting in Cape Town in January 1998 (Smith, Willis and van Wyk, 1998). Fifteen institutions housing zoological collections were surveyed. The aim of this survey, which was conducted concurrently with a similar study of botanical collections in herbaria conducted by the National Botanical Institution (Willis, Smith and Mossmer, 1998), was to document: (a) the current size, status and condition of zoological collections; and (b) the institutional needs associated with maintaining, developing and researching these collections.. Preliminary results were presented at a follow-up workshop at the University of Pretoria from 6-7 August 1998, at the inaugural conference of the Southern African Society for Systematic Biology, held in January 1999, and at the South African Museums Association conference in April 1999.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: South African Museums
Association : Conference and Annual General Meeting : Heidelberg : opening
Authors: Selepe; S.
Abstract: The president of SAMA, Ms Gillian Berning, councillors, branch representatives and delegates. I feel very honoured that I have been invited to open this conference. As you may be aware, museums form an important part of the responsibility of the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (SRAC). In fact museums are important for all of us in this country as they also contribute towards defining our heritage as a nation. Browsing through the programme for this conference, I noted that most speakers will be focusing on transformation issues. I feel greatly encouraged by that as I find it to be relevant to where we find ourselves as a country. It is perhaps even more relevant that SAMA decided to bring this conference to Gauteng for the first time since 1984 as it coincides with the province's initiatives of developing and writing new policies for museum service. Undoubtedly the proceedings of this conference will greatly inform this policy development process.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The thousand arrows the museum
is heir to : transforming collections in museums : exploring museum
Authors: Wanless; Ann
Abstract: MuseuMAfricA has in its collections a group of a thousand or more arrows collected from the Khoisan people who lived in Namibia in the 1920s. Possibly the most comprehensive and detailed selection of Khoisan arrows ever assembled, they form approximately one third of a remarkable collection which was made by Dr Louis Fourie, the Medical Officer for the South African Administration of the Protectorate. The breadth and depth of the entire collection suggests that Fourie was attempting to create a general archive of what he perceived to be the "traditional" material culture of the Khoisan of the province - an archive which we now know had no place for evidence that these marginalised people had been, and were still being, deprived of their liberty, their culture, their livelihood and sometimes their lives.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Cultural history in
collections : exploring museum collections
Authors: Rassool; Ciraj
Abstract: Thank you for the invitation to speak at this conference. I have chosen to interpret my brief - "Cultural History in Collections" - quite widely. Obviously the notion of "cultural history" and its genealogy as an intellectual category and as a classificatory subdivision in museums in South Africa and elsewhere requires discussion. As we all are aware, all museums as heritage institutions and sites of representation, have been undergoing various processes of transformation. It must be asserted that in the light of processes of transformation, and new objectives being set for museums in South Africa, it is now possible for us to assert as strongly as possible that the institutional classificatory division between "cultural history" and "ethnography" is no longer a tenable one. Indeed, all museums, we can say, are locations of cultural history.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Negotiating the early identity
of the Johannesburg Art Gallery : exploring museum collections
Authors: Carman; Jillian
Abstract: The focus in this paper is the Johannesburg Art Gallery and the two people most closely associated with its foundation in 1910: Florence Phillips, wife of the mining magnate, Lionel Phillips, and Hugh Lane, a renowned Irish art dealer. The aim is to examine how the early identity of the Johannesburg Art Gallery was shaped, particularly in the field of education and the fine and applied arts, comparing this briefly with the gallery today.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The stroke of midnight : will
museums become pumpkins or Porsches? : museums, science and education
Authors: Hall; Andrew B., Voigt, Elizabeth A.
Abstract: In May, 1987, representatives of South African Museums meeting at the annual SAMA conference in Pietermaritzburg sent out a wake-up call to their colleagues on the need for change in museum attitudes and policies. The increasing pressure for political change made it clear that the survival of museums would depend on their ability to identify and serve new audiences and to develop strategies to counteract the view of museums as elitist and irrelevant. That conference made us all suddenly aware of the fact that for the majority of museums the clock was ticking towards midnight and a reckoning on our real value to our respective communities. It also coincided with the appointment of new directors at three major museums, including the McGregor; for those institutions the change of management came at a critical and difficult time.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Transforming museums : a view
from a university : museums, science and education
Authors: Bundy; Colin
Abstract: It may seem very impertinent for somebody who does not work in a museum to address a professional body like this one. But I have accepted the invitation to do so because I am genuinely interested in some of the issues involved. Museums occupy a demanding and fascinating place in all modern societies - as collectors, preservers, cataloguers, restorers, interpreters and exhibitors of the past - but these roles become infinitely more complex and contested when a society is in a phase of accelerated change or transition.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Education officers in South
African museums : museums, science and education
Authors: Jezi; Khanyile
Abstract: Everyone knows that one of the main functions of the museums of South Africa is education. Museum education is generally concerned with the provision of services to the public. These services include educational programmes for children, collections for researchers, and exhibitions for the broader public. Unlike schools, museums cater for almost everyone, including children as young as two years old. Education is at the heart of museums because they are the only institutions devoted to the conservation of the movable cultural and natural heritage of this country. It is obvious then that some functions and missions of museums will not and can not be fulfilled without Museum Educators.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: A millenium sundial proposal :
promoting public awareness of Mrs Ples, Pangaea and our palaeontological
heritage : museums, science and education
Authors: Thackeray; Francis
Abstract: Museums in South Africa have collections that include important components of our country's heritage, representing part of world heritage. As one example we have "Mrs Ples" from the Sterkfontein caves, the most complete cranium of Australopithecus africanus, 2.5 million years old, representing a distant human ancestor. The fossil resides in the "Broom Room" vault at the Transvaal Museum, now part of the Northern Flagship Institute, and is studied by local and visiting scientists from many countries around the world. Opportunities for overseas scientists to study Mrs Ples, and opportunities for South Africans to travel to study other African hominid fossils in collections elsewhere on the continent, have been facilitated through changes that have been part of the process of transformation, allowing freedom of speech, and freedom to work together as part of an international scientific community.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The National Zoological
Gardens of South Africa - managing a living collection : museums, science
Authors: Oberprieler; Ulrich
Abstract: Zoological gardens and museums: two different types of institutions that nonetheless have a lot in common. Zoos, like museums, house collections. Unlike museum collections, those in zoos consist of living animals. Working with living collections has a number of advantages, such as the fact that animal populations grow and that animals fascinate people. Challenges include the fact that animals are susceptible to diseases, that they have to be cared for every day of the year and that transport and thus exchange programmes are very costly. Although this paper deals mainly with the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, the underlying principles are generic to zoos.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Sasol SciFest : promoting a
"culture" of science in South Africa in a festive way : museums, science
Authors: Wilmot; Brian
Abstract: The National Festival of Science, Engineering and Technology, or Sasol SciFest as it is now popularly known, which is a project of the Grahamstown Foundation, was launched in 1997 in Grahamstown as the first festival of its kind in South Africa, and possibly the whole of Africa.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Public scholarship as a
vocation : museums and identity
Authors: Karp; Ivan
Abstract: Let me begin with a series of examples that illustrate the ways people are engaged in public scholarship, and the many forms it can take. Some deal specifically with museums, others with topics that different kinds of museums might try to exhibit. Taken together they suggest a wide range of issues that apply to museums, just as what museums do apply to other institutions of civil society.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Real objects, simulated
experiences and cultural differences : paradox and tensions in the making
of exhibits : museums, science and education
Abstract: I have a friend who was trained as a social anthropologist. Now he is the chief curator of a major art museum, subject to periodic fits of status anxiety. During these moments he is given to lecturing me on the status of the museum as the home of "real" and "authentic" objects. Another friend and colleague compulsively told me over and over again that "People come to museums to see real objects, you know." Encountering metaphysical concerns over objects is a common enough experience among museum professionals. I want to argue in this paper that it is fueled by more than specialization and professional rivalries, by more than the friendly sniping between museums that emphasize objects and those that exhibit context and history.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Exhibiting the Ndebele :
myths, stereotypes and identity : museums and identity
Authors: Van Vuuren; Chris J.
Abstract: Few people have sated the world's aesthetic palate as the Ndebele have done since the 1950s. On 30 September 1953 "The Star" displayed a photograph of a Ndebele mural north of Pretoria under the heading "Decorative Native Art", in 1955 Moss reported on the "Master craftswomen of the Ndebele" and Brincker in 1961 called them the "Kleurrykste Bantoestam in Transvaal" ((The) most colourful Bantu tribe in the Transvaal), to name a few of the early references. Ndebele women in ritual attire became inspiration for painters such as Alexis Preller. Architects in particular also became involved. The University of Pretoria architect A.L. Meiring made the Ndebele "his own" with no less than five articles between 1949 and 1954; University of Cape Town scholar, Barrie Bierman, did so in 1955, and internationally acclaimed Spanish architect Pancho Guedes ("Les Mapogga") followed with an article in 1962.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Memory, identity and
representation : possibilities of new models of representation in a
transforming environment : museums and identity
Authors: Solani; Noel, Ka Mpumlwana, Khwezi
Abstract: Museums and Heritage sites, by their very nature, deal exclusively with representation of identity among other things. For a society in transition like South Africa, which is in the process of emerging from a major human made catastrophe, it is even more important that as these sites represent identity they also help create a new national identity. One of the major ingredients will be memory.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The affirmative ripple :
novice speakers competition
Authors: Adderley; Claire
Abstract: The affirmative ripple
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Costume and multivalency :
museums and identity
Authors: Gwintsa; Veliswa
Abstract: Today's presentation is an extension of a text for a display cabinet that I curated as part of my masters program at the WITS Art Gallery in 1997. The cabinet is one of seven that show various interpretations on the theme "Costume and Identity". The exhibition is entitled "Costume and Identity" and can still be viewed downstairs at the Wits Art Gallery.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Novice Competition - SAMA
1999. From teacher to education officer : novice speakers competition
Authors: Nkuna; Pearl
Abstract: I am Pearl Nkuna from the SA National Museum of Military History. I started working as a Cultural Officer on the first of August 1997. I had been a high school teacher for seven years before venturing into the museum world.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Working at the Pilgrim's Rest
Museum and how I see my future in the world of conservation : novice
speakers competition
Authors: Mashile; Sella Sydney
Abstract: Being born and bred in Pilgrim's Rest has meant that I have acquired some knowledge of this historic village. The history of this town was, however, not of great importance to me until I acquainted myself with the Pilgrim's Rest Museum.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: What is Mary doing here? :
Authors: Liebenberg-Barkhuizen; Estelle
Abstract: A collection of work by Mary Stainbank (1899-1996), Natal based sculptor and fellow student of Henry Moore at the Royal College of Art in London during the early 1920s, was recently moved from the Natal Parliament Buildings to the Voortrekker Museum in Pietermaritzburg in order to make it more accessible. On display are examples of Stainbank's sculpture and drawings, an archive consisting of the artist's documents and library and a reconstruction of an aspect of her studio. This comprehensive collection exists within the Voortrekker Museum alongside examples of early modes of transport, artefacts made by Anglo-Boer War prisoners of war, material culture from India, Dingane's chair, and Voortrekker history and culture. Such juxtaposition of diverse objects from different contexts and origins appeared to me bewildering to say the least.
South African Museums Association Bulletin : Museums 2000: Rebirth and
Renewal: Presidential address : in the spirit of the African Renaissance
Abstract: Dr Ben Ngubane, Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology; Rooksana Omar, Vice-President of SAMA; Councillors and regional chairpeople of SAMA; Denise Crous, Chairperson of the conference organising committee; Helene Vollgraaff, Chairperson of SAMA Western Cape; Dr Colin Jones, Chairperson, Southern Flagship Institute; Professor Jack Lohman, CEO, Southern Cape Flagship; SAMA members; special guests and conference delegates, it is a great honour and pleasure for me to welcome you all to the 64th conference and Annual General Meeting of the South African Museums Association, the first of this millennium and, of course, the first on Robben Island. In 1997 the Council of SAMA was privileged to be the first group of many people to hold a meeting on the Island. It was an unforgettable experience and I know that we can all expect a marvellous three days. At the outset I would like to thank Professor Andre Odendaal and his team for inviting SAMA to hold this conference on the Island - and say that we are thrilled to be here.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: Notes from the open floor
discussion held at the end of the SAMA 1999 Conference : evaluating the
Abstract: The final session of the 1999 conference was the open floor discussion "Evaluating the Conference" led by the newly elected President of SAMA, Rochelle Keene. She opened the session by explaining that its purpose was to give delegates an opportunity to critique the contents and the organisation of the conference and to give guidelines to the organisers of the conference for 2000. She pointed out that this conference had been structured in accordance with guidelines received in 1998.
South African Museums Association Bulletin: The experiences and challenges
of working as a museum assistant : novice speakers competition
Authors: Tlali; Mohau
Abstract: The Local History Museums of Durban comprise four sites, namely the Old Court House Museum, the Old House Museum, the Port Natal Maritime Museum and the Kwa Muhle Museum. Artefacts donated to the various sites are accessioned and documented at the Old Court House Museum. This museum also runs an enquiry service for members of the public. This paper will reflect on my experiences and the challenges encountered in working as a museum assistant at the Old Court House Museum.


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