“Palama palama o ye Mochudi ga Kgabo….go agilwe musiamo ko dimo ga thaba Phuthadikobo, go a gilwe Musiamo go dimo ga thaba..”
Before commencing the day’s activities, it was befitting to hold a moment of silence for the Phuthadikobo Museum’s founder, Sandy Grant, who passed on over the weekend. He is the one who laid a strong foundation for Museum’s success where his name will forever be engraved. May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.
Museums globally celebrate the International Museum Day each year on 18th May 2021 and this year’s theme, “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine” urges museums to adopt new ways or enhance existing ones in order to become more accessible and to remain relevant to its audiences. This is especially after the impact of COVID 19 pandemic which saw the closure of museums and heritage sites around the world including Botswana. For a community museum such as Phuthadikobo, the closure resulted in the loss of the much needed revenue through entrance fees and sales from its shop. For the first time in history, no one walked up the sacred hill for almost eight weeks to enjoy Bakgatla ba Kgafela’s heritage as the closure of the physical space locked away the valuable collections from the public. The pandemic also had a negative social impact as it barred the community from the building that is the epitome of its identity, the Bakgatla National School.
As a way of recovering and re-imagining its future, Phuthadikobo Museum celebrated the 2021 International Museum Day through the launch of its website. The Museum realized that it can no longer achieve its mandate through “old ways” as before hence the development of its website to avail its collections and public programs digitally. Its core mandate of preserving and promoting Bakgatla ba Kgafela heritage will be enhanced through robust digital transformation online. In the future, more digital platforms such as Phuthadikobo Virtual Museum and exhibitions will be developed and availed through the platform. The Museum began reinventing its future a few years ago through the formulation of the Destination 23 Strategy which resulted in the digitization of all its collection through the UNESCO Participation Programme in 2018. The grant led to the electronic documentation of all its material culture and an on-going digitization of photographs and archival material. The Museum’s Collections Management Systems has not only improved the management of entire collections but it will also be availed to the public online.
Digitization will also include the community’s intangible cultural heritage elements listed on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, that is, Earthenware Pottery-Making Skills in Kgatleng District, inscribed in 2012 and Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District inscribed in 2017. All these will eventually be availed through the website for public audiences.
Who is the future? Being relevant means engaging young people as convenience is not an option to them and this is why Phuthadikobo, like other museums, should be accessed instantly at their fingertips through apps. This will in return create job opportunities for the local ICT companies and developers. Another opportunity is to reach schools in Kgatleng and Botswana through digital public programs at their bases as part of their curriculum. For the public at large and tourists, the Museum will always be accessible without the physical barriers.
In conclusion, Phuthadikobo Museum celebrated the 2021 International Museum Day with pride and reimagined its future through the website launch at http://www.phuthadikobomuseum.org.bw
We dare another global pandemic.
The website launch was made possible through its Coordinator, Mr. Bathusi Lesolobe who worked tirelessly with the Phuthadikobo Museum staff and the website designer, Weblogic.
“Happy 2021 International Museum Day”.
*Dr. Keletso Setlhabi, is a proud member of Madisakgosi Regiment and also sits on the Board of Trustees of Phuthadikobo Museum. She teaches Archaeology at the University of Botswana and is a cultural activist involved in various aspects of her community. Dr. Setlhabi also sings for Matlapa a Leloto Choir and awaits the return to Lelotong.
