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Issue 00482 |
August 18 - 24, 2007 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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Travel |
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Old meets new at stylish Maasai
Cultural Museum By
Elisha Mayallah Perhaps I am a little odd but when I visit new places, instead of spending my time indoors, among others, I spend it visiting museums. On first returning to Arusha after being away for a while I was delighted to find the Meserani Snake Park is swarming with visitors. The Park is home to a Maasai market filled with ornaments and curious ready to find their market in the visitors. And a Maasai Cultural Museum , which had been attracting many local and international tourists lately. Now, nearly several weeks later, many a rainy day sees my friends and I heading off to spend a few hours lost in the fantasy world of the nomadic Maasais natural history. "It all started as a dream" explained Berry and Lynn Bales in the cosy and comfortable surroundings of the Meserani Snake Park. The Bales, originally from South Africa, are owners and managers of the museum. "My wife and I had this passion for a Maasai cultural museum. After dedicating our time for collection we are now happy to see the museum has taken shape in a modest way as most visitors gaze at it in wonder," said Berry Bales. It is the same spirit of passion and different aspects of Maasai culture displayed: which include living styles, crafts, and many more - keep attracting many to the museum. But there is much more to it than just a collection of ornaments showcasing inheritance from the olden times. "I would like people to understand that the museum is fun," says Lynn. "It is an insight into the rich diversity of the Maasai culture - live and not static - seeing all these fascinating and cultural things is only one part of experience," adds Berry. The museum, which is part of the Meserani Snake Park project, is one of the few that, works well with the local community. The Park's location was originally hot and dusty open area. And after the Bales arrived in 1993 to build it - they started by planting trees, which now dot the surroundings. For those who have not been there before, the museum is found nearly 20 kilometres off Arusha town on the road leading to the Tanzania wonderlands of Serengeti and Ngorongoro. The museum is only the public front of a much larger research and as such it is aware of its need to move with times. "What most visitors to the museum see is only a small fraction of its total extent, for it is essentially a research and education institution not unlike a university," said a Maasai guide who took me around the museum complex. "What could possibly make a museum, full of essentially inherited displays, seem alive", I asked the guide. "It is seen by visitors on how it relates to the outside world" the guide revealed. "And Maasais in this case are an attraction to tourists both in Tanzania and Kenya – this adds a tick on drawing many visitors," he added. Before or after the leisurely tour of the museum visitors are welcomed to watch a dancing group of proud Maasai warriors [Morans] vaulting skywards as they woo their maidens with haunting cries and twirling spears. "People should feel they have a free invitation to come and discover this collection of Maasai cultural displays and to be part of it. Excellent refreshments and snacks are available at our bar and restaurant to cater for visitors needs," said Berry as he saw me off. The invitation is not exactly free but a modest fee is charged, which I found one of the best bargains around. E-mail contact: elisha.mayallah@gmail.com
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