Joyful museum anniversary celebration held

Gallery Video

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Delegates from the Portuguese embassy in Pretoria attended the 36th anniversary celebration of the Bartolomeu Dias Museum on Friday, 7 February.

They were the social attaché, Fernando Valor, and the Portuguese cultural affairs co-ordinator, Joel Coelho.
Prior to the establishment of the Bartolomeu Dias Museum, there had been a Mossel Bay Museum.

Also present at the function was the Western Cape Cultural Affairs and Sport deputy director: Museums Support Service, Lorelle Hutton.

It was the schoolchildren who stole the show at the festivities, held in the Maritime Museum in the complex, at the life-size replica of seafarer Dias' caravel.

See a picture gallery here: Joyful museum anniversary celebration held

The children's entertainment was by a traditional dance group from Isalathiso Primary School, marimba players from Kids Kingdom and a small group of young musicians from Global Academy.

See videos after the photograph at the end of this article.

Point High School musicians also performed, together with their music teachers, Louise van Wyk-Visser and Stéfan Conradie.

Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé gave a speech in which he recalled his parents taking him to the museum as a child. His family lived in De Aar, he said.

Friends of the Museum chairperson Denise Lloyd, who was the MC, noted that the concept of a museum dated back to before Christ.

Lloyd introduced the speakers and the various programme items, with skill, warmth and humour.

Bearing in mind the description of South Africa as a Rainbow Nation, museum management committee chairperson Carina Wiggill said: "The museum appreciates the support of the rainbow of Mossel Bay residents."

Both Mossel Bay Tourism chief Lieschke Steven-Jennings and Kotzé noted the importance of the cruise ship tourists to Mossel Bay, as they boosted the economy.

In her speech, Steven-Jennings pointed out that the museum was one of the passengers' favourite attractions.

A number of cruise ship passengers were present at the celebration.

Members of the Gouriqua Khoi Khoranna Kraal attended the celebration, including Queen Gail Baatjies, who is the Point Discovery Centre director.

After the speeches and the music items, the event was rounded off with the cutting and the eating of the giant anniversary cake, an annual tradition at the museum.

Some of the guests were (front, from left), from the Gouriqua Khoi Khoranna Kraal, Delbrin Swartz, Yster Boesman van Tonder and Point Discovery Centre director Queen Gail Baatjies, Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé, and also from the kraal, Christa van Tonder and Mervin Barnard, Mossel Bay Tourism head Lieschke Steven-Jennings, the Portuguese Embassy's Joel Coelho and Fernando Valor, his daughter Rita Valor and museum management chairperson Carina Wiggill.