Alexandra Heritage Centre commemorates International Museum Week

The Alexandra Heritage Centre in partnership with Smart Little Brains is set to host a remarkable event that marks a significant moment in Alex, the International Museum Week event from May 13 to May 18.

Curator and head of facility of the heritage centre Livhuwani Mulaudzi said the inspiration for the event lies around the theme ‘museums for education and research’.

“The goal is to educate the public about the important task that the Alexandra Museum is tasked with and to interpret and conserve. We want to preserve and promote the history, heritage and culture of Alexandra.

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“The fact that Museum Week is celebrated globally, every year with a different theme inspires the museum to come up with ideas that will encourage and enhance community participation in museum programming,” said Mulaudzi.

“This event provides a platform for young and up-and-coming artists from Alexandra to showcase their talents through artwork exhibitions, traditional performances and music. The event also serves as a tool to encourage the community of Alexandra to be actively involved in museum programming.”

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Mulaudzi said they invited learners from Gordon Primary School, Carter Primary School, Ekukhanyisweni Primary School, Alexandra Secondary School and Realogile High School.

“We are going to have learners from different schools each day of the week with the museum education team conducting guided tours of the museum, introducing visitors to the history and heritage of Alexandra and also handout educational materials such as brochures to encourage learning and knowledge sharing.”

Mulaudzi said on May 18 they will have a dialogue where the community of Alexandra and different sectors will share their perspectives on the importance of heritage.

“The dialogue seeks to bring people from the community of Alexandra and different sectors to engage on the topic, share the significance of cultural heritage from the point of view of their respective sectors and to collectively come up with practical ways to enhance the conservation, preservation, interpretation and promotion of cultural heritage in our township.
“With this event we hope the community of Alexandra will instil a sense of pride and belonging to the area through learning and enjoyment of the rich history and heritage of Alexandra.

“We hope this event will help encourage collaborations with the community in terms of museum programmes in the future and also advocacy for museum protection from vandalism and other social ills.”

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