Tsau //Khaeb wins Trip to Robben Island

WINDHOEK, Sept. 19 – Tsau //Khaeb Secondary School from Rosh Pinah in //Kharas Region won the 10th annual edition of the School Clubs and Museums Exhibition (SCAMX) Competition organized by the
Museums Association of Namibia (MAN).

Besides the glory and bragging rights bestowed on the school, the team will be excited at the prospect of travelling to Robben Island Museum off the coast of Cape Town to represent Namibia at the Museum’s annual Spring School.
Ms Jabu Sibeni, the teacher who worked with the winning History Club said: “Since it was our learners first time to participate in such a national event, nervousness could be spotted. But, when the overall winner was announced, they were overwhelmed with joy and endless pride. They realized that hard work can really pay off. We would like to thank the Museums Association of Namibia and the sponsors for organizing this wonderful event. We are now impatiently waiting for our trip to represent the Land of the Brave in South Africa. My learners have learnt the truth of something once said by Branch Rickey, an American civil rights activits – `You don’t stumble upon your heritage. It is there, just waiting to be explored and shared with those around it.’”

The school also walked away with the special prize for the best oral history research earning a set of new Namibian history books donated by University of Namibia (UNAM) Press.

Ms Hilma Kautotondokwa, Museums Association of Namibia (MAN) Museum Development Manager and SCAMX Co-ordinator, explained the concept behind the competition.

“SCAMX is about making museums and heritage matter to young Namibians. We believe that the best way to do this is to engage the hands, minds and hearts of learners. It is about creating a dialogue between the young and older generation. But most importantly, it is about creating an echo of the voice of our youth in our museums and ensuring that the communities that they serve have a sense of involvement and ownership. We have encouraged all the participating schools to mount their displays in their region during heritage week.
The theme of `Namibian Heritage Week’ is `we are in it together’ and SCAMX is a great chance for young people to get involved in discovering and celebrating our cultural heritage”.

The theme for this year’s SCAMX competition was`Traditional Music and Dance’ as MAN felt it was
important that people are aware of the diverse musical heritage within the country. Mr Goodman Gwasira, a lecturer at UNAM and Chairperson of the panel of judges, said:“The quality of exhibitions has improved
tremendously over the years, such that this year’s competition was very difficult to judge. The future
of Namibian heritage is in good hands indeed.”

Since the competition started it is estimated that over 6,000 learners have been involved and many have gone on to study or work in the museums and heritage sector.
Delta Secondary School from Khomas Region were the runners-up in the competition and won an educational weekend in Swakopmund.

Defending champions, Fridrich Awaseb, came third and won a weekend at the Cheetah Conservation Institute to learn more about the world’s fastest animals. Leevi Hakusembe Secondary School (Kavango West) won a digital camera for their History Club, while Matumbo Angelina Ribebe Secondary School (Kavango West) won a bumper hamper of stationary.

The 10th edition of the SCAMX competition was made possible thanks to the support of a
number of important sponsors. The main sponsorship came from UNESCO (facilitated by the
National Commission for Namibia). Out of Africa Town Lodge in Otjiwarongo gave a generous
discount on meals and accommodation. Robben Island Museum sponsored the first prize, the
Cheetah Conservation Fund hosted a visit by all the participants and also sponsored a prize. The
Namibian Newspaper sponsored advertising for the competition. Prizes for the winners and `book
boxes’ for all the schools that participated in the finals were provided by Joel Vision Production,
Mamokobo Video and Research, UNAM Press, Basler Africa Bibliographien. – Ignatius Mutasa