Every aspect of the Damara Living Museum is crafted to transport visitors back in time. In keeping with this theme, we entered through a pathway carved between huge rocks that were millions of years old, and were met by a spectacular and unexpected sight.
Our first impression was that this wasn’t your average museum. We had expected to peruse exhibits, artefacts and photographs, perhaps while listening to stories told by local Damara people. Instead, we found ourselves in a traditional Damara village, surrounded by red earth, thatched-roofed huts and Damara people of all ages. The dress, housing, language and daily activities here were exactly as they might have been in the past.
Our first clue that this this was to be an interactive experience was that, within five minutes of arriving, we were pulled out of a crowd of visitors to take part in a traditional dance. The fact that we had no idea how to dance in the way of the Damara people quickly proved to be irrelevant. Friendly men and women took turns showing us the steps or twirling us around in the middle of the crowd, and we finished red-cheeked and laughing.
An aspect of the museum that we loved was that everywhere in the village, from the pharmacy hut to the women’s area and the workshop, people spoke exclusively in the Damara ‘clicking language’. Our guide translated for us, but it was fascinating to listen to this musical, unfamiliar way of speaking, and we were surprised by how much we could pick up from body language and pantomime alone. We were also taught the symbols for the challenging clicks, and encouraged to try to repeat them; our miserable failure at replicating the sounds greatly amused our Damara hosts.
We concluded our tour by watching a traditional Damara board game being played. Every time we thought we understood the rules, one of the players would make a move that proved we had no idea what was going on. Despite our limited comprehension, we were on the edge of our seats the entire time, judging who was winning by the outbursts from both sides. As we left this hut, we declared this a spectator sport that we’d gladly watch on TV back home and made our way to our final stop.
While exploring Namibia, we’ve discovered that we can’t resist buying a trinket or piece of jewellery that ties to the culture and people we learn about at each destination. Our experience at the Damara Living Museum was no exception. The gift shop was filled with all manner of traditional crafts, including ostrich shell bracelets and earrings, knives with sheathes made of animal horns, and brass bangles. These creations also had the distinction of having been made by the people we had just met. We left the Living Museum with our wallets and hearts lighter, feeling slightly nostalgic for a time well before our own.
» Get more information and contact details for the Damara Living Museum.
