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Articles 2003 - 2010
Publication about Zanzibar's House of Wonders Museum
The House of Wonders is home to Zanzibar's national museum. The museum for Zanzibar's history and culture was opened in this 19th-century palace in 2005. The opening was the conclusion of an international cooperative project for the management and conservation of cultural heritage. The Royal Tropical Institute KIT played an important part in the project as advisor and initiator.
The Zanzibar House of Wonders Museum - Self-reliance and Partnership, describing this cooperative project, will soon be published. Authors are: Professor Abdul Sheriff, former head curator of the Zanzibar museum; Paul Voogt, head of communications for the Tropenmuseum Amsterdam; and Mubiana Luhila, head of the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa.
The House of Wonders is not only an exemplary project in the area of heritage and sustainability. It also demonstrates that cooperation need not result in dependence, but can go hand in hand with autonomy and self-awareness. The book is a case study in culture and development, studying the importance of the museum for the population and for economic development. It also sheds some light on Zanzibar’s rich history and culture.
The Zanzibar House of Wonders Museum - Self-reliance and partnership.
A Case Study in Cultural Development
A. Sheriff, P. Voogt, M. Luhila
(KIT Publishers, Amsterdam, € 25,--)