World Read Aloud Day celebrations continued on Thursday, 3 February with the KwaZulu-Natal Museum's Education Outreach Team along with the Museum's Library Department visiting Maria Memorial Primary School.

The day's celebrations kicked off with the outreach team launching a reading club at the primary school, with an aim to improve learners reading literacy and develop their love for reading at an early age.
In keeping with the ethos of World Read Aloud Day, learners were given the opportunity to perform and share their favourite stories with the audience in attendance. Learners were also given pointers by the Museum's Library Department on how to better take care of books so that they can be shared and reused for many years to come.

The event featured on SABC Kids news - watch here. 

#kznmuseum #education #outreach #worldreadaloud #readingclub #literacy

Birds, cloves and baskets

A new donation!

The Human Sciences Department of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum is excited to announce the donation of 160 new items to their collection. The donation was made by Dr John Vincent of Howick. Most of the items belonged to Dr Vincent’s late father Col. Jack Vincent.

Dr John Vincent with some of the items donated.

Col. Jack Vincent was born and schooled in England. He travelled to South Africa for the first time just before his 21^st birthday in 1924. Once in the country he began to take an interest in the local birds and in time ornithology became more than just a hobby. Col. Vincent travelled widely in Africa documenting the birdlife and collecting specimens that were taxidermied and sent to the British Museum. Col. Vincent’s complete taxidermy kit as well as 12 bird specimens were amongst the items donated.

Col. Jack Vincent in the field in the 1930s, in a tent on the back of a lorry.

Taxidermy kit and three of the bird specimens

In 1935 Col. Vincent was commissioned to open a clove oil factory in Zanzibar. His contract stated that he had 18 months to acquire land, build a factory and distil 100 tons of clove oil. He managed to do this in a year. The collection donated to the museum includes Col. Vincent’s notes on the distilling process as well as many different samples of clove oil produced by the factory including a sample from the very first distillation at the factory.

Two of the samples of clove oil donated.

Dr Vincent also donated some historical basketry including two early lidded baskets from the Vukani Association in Eshowe, and a spear that belonged to a game guard in the Hluhluwe game reserve in the 1960s.

Basketry items and a spear.

Season's greetings! Best wishes for a peaceful festive season and a wonderful and safe 2022!