MUSEUMS OF MALAWI
Malawi is often called the" Warm Heart of Africa" due to the exceptional friendliness of the people. However, Malawians struggle with their everyday existence of poverty, lack of education, disease pandemics, and environmental disasters in what is known as the poorest country in Africa. Ultimately, these conditions create tragic circumstances for the people of this country.
In 2009-2011, Kimberly began researching the Museums of Malawi's Mobile Museum's outreach programs - HIV/AIDS Prevention, Malaria Prevention, and Indigenous Cultural Expression & Promotion in Primary Schools. The museum's educators are passionate about contributing to the country's most pressing problems. They recognized that 90% of Malawi's population had no connection or access to the national museum located in Blantyre. In response, they developed the Mobile Museum's outreach programs and took the museum on the road to reach the people in rural villages.
She traveled with them to see how communities received and responded to these programs. I found what made their programs unique is that they use culturally responsive education practices (CREP) as a teaching tool by speaking their local languages and including Indigenous expressive arts. Elders, teachers, health professionals and children perceived the programs with openness. Local people responded by making changes to their lifestyles in the context of cultural traditions that contribute to the spread of HIV/Aids, managing the environment to discourage mosquitos, and engaging with Indigenous cultural heritage, knowledge, and expressive arts.
Malawi is often called the" Warm Heart of Africa" due to the exceptional friendliness of the people. However, Malawians struggle with their everyday existence of poverty, lack of education, disease pandemics, and environmental disasters in what is known as the poorest country in Africa. Ultimately, these conditions create tragic circumstances for the people of this country.
In 2009-2011, Kimberly began researching the Museums of Malawi's Mobile Museum's outreach programs - HIV/AIDS Prevention, Malaria Prevention, and Indigenous Cultural Expression & Promotion in Primary Schools. The museum's educators are passionate about contributing to the country's most pressing problems. They recognized that 90% of Malawi's population had no connection or access to the national museum located in Blantyre. In response, they developed the Mobile Museum's outreach programs and took the museum on the road to reach the people in rural villages.
She traveled with them to see how communities received and responded to these programs. I found what made their programs unique is that they use culturally responsive education practices (CREP) as a teaching tool by speaking their local languages and including Indigenous expressive arts. Elders, teachers, health professionals and children perceived the programs with openness. Local people responded by making changes to their lifestyles in the context of cultural traditions that contribute to the spread of HIV/Aids, managing the environment to discourage mosquitos, and engaging with Indigenous cultural heritage, knowledge, and expressive arts.
