WINDHOEK – Survivors of the Cassinga massacre have been urged to feel free to visit the museum and share their experiences of the day with the public visiting the museum.
Cassinga Day is a national holiday in remembrance of the painful events of May 4, when more than 600 Namibians in exile were killed during a South African Defence Force attack on the Swapo refugee camp at Cassinga in southern Angola.
Making the request in an interview with New Era, as part of the Cassinga Day commemoration, was the Head of the National Museum of Namibia, Esther Moombolah-Goagoses. She added: “The museum is a reflection of the true history of what happened. Yes, history has been written, but with visuals it will allow our generation [and future generations] to see what really happened.”
The newly inaugurated Independence Memorial Museum has recorded a great flow of visitors since it opened its doors to the public on March 21 this year with an impressive 200 to 600 people – locals and foreigners – a day. The museum has three major floors displaying themes of the the colonial repression, liberation war and the road to independence.
There are special galleries that portray the 1904-1908 Herero and Nama genocide as well as the Cassinga massacre on May 4, 1978.
The museum has replicas of Robben Island prison cell uniforms as well as the plates and spoons used for meals by prisoners. There is a leather bag which was given to Dr Sam Nujoma, the Founding Father of the Namibian Nation, by Chief Hosea Kutako to carry his belongings when he crossed into exile in the 1960s to find a solution for Namibian independence.
Moombolah-Goagoses said the number of people visiting the museum daily was very encouraging. “The first day when we opened we received about 600 people in one afternoon. And these visitors were from different backgrounds. Schools also brought learners in large groups to come view.”
The museum is open every day, including public holidays, from 09h30 to 18h00. The public have been allowed six months since March to enter free of charge but have been asked not to touch the items on display to avoid spoiling them.
By Albertina Nakale