Kenya to build first undersea museum in sub-Sahara Africa
The two underwater archeologist from Kenya National Museum dive into the Indian ocean for excavation of the formerly Portuguese vessel the MV Santa Antanio that was sunk by the Arabs near Fort Jesus in 1697. Kenya is set to build sub-Sahara's first undersea museum. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The museum will be built at the site of a shipwreck at Ngomeni, a historical fishing village in the north coast.
It will be Africa’s educational centre for underwater archaeology, participants attending a workshop in Mombasa were told Tuesday.
Kenya is set to become the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to have an underwater museum.
The museum will be built at the site of a shipwreck at Ngomeni, a historical fishing village in the north coast.
It will be Africa’s educational centre for underwater archaeology, participants attending a workshop in Mombasa were told yesterday.
The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) coast region assistant director for sites and monuments, Mr Athman Hussein Athman, said plans to establish the facility were already in place.
“The government of Kenya, through the NMK, has started to develop the Ngomeni shipwreck site into an underwater museum, the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa,” he told the workshop.
He said underwater museums have become major tourist attractions in other countries.
The project will be boosted by the discovery of several shipwrecks in Kenyan waters, Mr Athman said.
He said studies have revealed that the shipwrecks were highly exploitable for scientific research and as tourist attractions.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
The workshop, sponsored by Unesco, the National Museums of Kenya and the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts, is being attended by 10 delegates from Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Madagascar, Namibia and Kenya.
The objective is to build capacity for African countries to effectively manage their underwater cultural heritage.
The participants, who are archaeologists, have been undergoing rigorous practical sessions that include diving at the 17th Century Santa Antonio De Tanna Shipwreck in front of Fort Jesus Museum.
Unesco representative Arturo Rey Da Silva told the workshop that his organisation would work with the Kenyan government to train experts that will boost the sector as it had huge tourism potential.
“Underwater archaeology can develop tourism to greater heights. Unesco will be a major partner in this initiative,” said Mr Silva.
