By Lufuno Masindi, Thandile Masinyana and Zanele Hlungwani
Children from local schools were randomly selected to explore the ancient museums in Makhanda for an educational tour.
The schools included Capstone, PJ Olivier, Victoria Girls, St Mary’s and Samuel Ntlebi.
They visited the History Museum, the Science Museum as well as the Observatory Museum.
Nwabisa Chikila, the organiser and leader of the educational tour, shared some insights regarding the educational tour. She emphasised that the tour was very important to expand the children’s knowledge about their history.
Thozama Madikane, a parent, highlighted that it is significant for such tours to happen to help them understand their academic curriculum. She added, “Some children do not receive any opportunity to come to see the museum and tour Grahamstown.” She also said that some children might gain an interest in history as a subject.
It was crucial to have the tour because it removed the children from the streets and prevented them from engaging in unlawful activities during school holidays. So, the tour had a positive impact on their cognitive development, Madikane stated.
The touring team first went to the History Museum where they explored the history and background of Makhanda. One of the most interesting things about the tour was that they were shown pictures and paintings of how Makhanda looked in the 80s.
They were also shown the uniform worn by the iKhwezi Choir. The children were captivated by the historical artefacts and this was seen by their engagement and the ability to ask follow-up questions to the tour organisers.
Then they proceeded to the Natural Science building where they were taught various new facts about science. They were shown the different planets in their respective order and how they function. Again, the children were fascinated with what was presented to them and they were showing interest.
They were shown pictures, statues, and artefacts of the process of becoming traditional healers, known as ‘amagqirha’.
The last museum they visited was the Observatory Museum where they were taught how the museum came about. The museum had manikins, which represented the family members who resided in the house before it was transformed into a museum.
The highlight of the educational tour was when the children were taken to the rooftop of the museum to show them the camera stereo that shows the live landscape of Makhanda.
Overall, the education tour was quite an insightful and learning experience for the children and more tours are yet to come, the organisers assured.
