博茨瓦纳国家博物馆(National Museum and Art Gallery)坐落在首都哈博罗内(Gaborone)核心区的独立大道(Independence Avenue)。这座建筑虽然外表不算雄伟,却是了解这个内陆国家前世今生的关键入口。自1967年根据议会法案成立以来,它一直扮演着文化守护者的角色。1968年9月30日,博茨瓦纳开国总统塞雷茨·卡马爵士亲自为其剪彩。如果你在哈博罗内只有两小时的空档,把时间花在这里比去商场要划算得多。
这间博物馆的建立时间非常有意思,它仅比博茨瓦纳独立晚了一年。在那个国家建设初期、资源匮乏的年代,优先建立博物馆体现了博茨瓦纳人对身份认同的重视。馆址选在哈博罗内最老的街区之一,周围分布着政府办公楼和老牌酒店。走进展厅,你会发现这里的采光设计很有讲究,利用非洲强烈的自然光营造出历史的厚重感。
整个建筑群中最有设计感的是八角形画廊(Octagon Gallery)。这里经常举办临时性的当代艺术展或摄影展。馆方会不定期邀请南非或其他邻国的艺术家来此交流,这使得博物馆不仅仅是一个堆放旧物件的仓库,更是一个活跃的艺术社交点。画廊外围的庭院偶尔会停放一些退役的交通工具或大型雕塑,这些露天展品同样讲述着博茨瓦纳的工业与艺术进程。
博物馆最引以为傲的是关于桑人(San)的详细记录。桑人作为南部非洲最古老的居民,其生存智慧被浓缩在一系列展项中。你可以看到极其精细的岩画复刻件,虽然真迹大多散落在索迪洛山(Tsodilo Hills)的岩壁上,但馆内的解读能让你在出发去荒野前先做好功课。展柜里陈列着桑人使用的鸵鸟蛋壳水壶、涂抹了毒素的木箭以及精巧的皮革服饰,这些物品揭示了在卡拉哈里沙漠极端环境下生存的逻辑。
说到博茨瓦纳的符号,手工编织篮绝对排在首位。这里的馆藏涵盖了该国北方最顶级的编织工艺,尤其是来自奥卡万戈三角洲地区的篮筐。这些篮子不只是为了好看,每一种花纹都有特定含义,比如代表斑马足迹的纹路或燕子迁徙的图案。你可以通过近距离观察,分辨出棕榈纤维与天然染料结合出的细腻质感。这些工艺品在当今国际市场上价格不菲,但在博物馆里,你能看到它们最原始、最纯正的形态。
虽然博茨瓦纳以陆路游猎闻名,但在野外你未必能看清每种动物的细节。自然历史展区提供了这种可能。这里收藏了超过10万件标本,包括各种大型哺乳动物、爬行动物以及非洲特有的禽类。最吸引眼球的是对白犀牛和黑犀牛区别的科普展示,以及对卡拉哈里狮子生态位的深度拆解。对于带孩子的家庭来说,这部分内容非常直观,即便看不懂复杂的英文介绍,光看那些一比一还原的生态造景也能明白个大概。
去这里不需要刻意打车,如果你住在哈博罗内市中心的酒店,步行过来也就十几分钟。博物馆目前的门票政策非常友好,对大众完全免费开放,这在非洲国家的国家级景点中并不多见。开放时间通常是周一至周五的早上9点到下午6点,周末会提前到下午4点半关门。说真的,最好选在周二到周四的上午去,那时候人最少,你可以安安静静地在那几个光线昏暗的民族志展厅里转悠。
逛完博物馆,出了大门右转走不到500米就是著名的“主购物中心”(Main Mall)。那是哈博罗内最古老的商业步行街,非常有生活气息。我建议把博物馆参观安排在上午,中午去主购物中心找一家当地餐馆,尝尝著名的塞斯瓦(Seswaa,一种慢火炖出的手撕牛肉),然后再去工艺品摊位转转。如果你对植物感兴趣,博物馆其实还有一个“编外成员”——国家植物园,它位于城市的另一端,占地大约7公顷,两个地方加在一起就是一套完美的哈博罗内人文自然套餐。
目前博物馆对所有游客实行免费政策,不收门票。这使得它成为哈博罗内性价比最高的文化景点,不过馆内画廊部分有时会有慈善义卖,你可以自愿选择是否支持艺术家的作品。
展厅内部原则上禁止使用闪光灯拍照,部分特定的历史文献展区或当代艺术展区可能会完全禁止摄影。建议在进入具体展厅前留意门口的标识,或者礼貌地询问巡查的工作人员,通常室外和公共区域拍照是没有限制的。
如果你只是走马观花地看一遍,1个小时左右就能转完。但如果你对桑人文化、传统编织工艺或者自然历史标本感兴趣,建议预留2到3小时的深度参观时间,尤其是八角形画廊的艺术展往往值得多停留一会儿。
步行5至10分钟即可到达哈博罗内的核心商业区主购物中心。那里有各种档次的餐饮选择,从麦当劳、南非连锁品牌Nando's到售卖博茨瓦纳传统炖肉的当地快餐店应有尽有,能够满足不同的餐饮预算。
Chawapiwa B. M. D Caesar-Zwinila Wish I could've seen more but there was an event. All in all nice place to visit, art paintings,photographs, sculptures to baskets and handcrafted traditional chair. Culture is preserved here. The garden also has beautiful flowers. Visit the place with your kids. Canvas Photographs/paintings, bags,rags are being sold.
Eric Sekgoma III I loved the paintings a lot but a lot still needs to be put in place.
Nathanael Amoyaw Asamoah The National museum in Gaborone is a nice setup. It is not a big museum but it gives a good insight into the knowledge of the country. The guide was very professional and gave a lot of information, especially on the traditional Kgotla system. The depiction of the Kgotla and the actual village setup provided an immersive experience. It allowed for visitors to see first hand how the indigenous batswana live and their time tested traditions. It is worth noting that the kogtla system has been carried on into their modern democratic system. The statues of farm animals serve as an ode to the farming culture of the batswana.There was a small exhibition on display and the artist was in sight to curate his paintings. The paintings were up for sale, with some of the proceeds going to the promotion of the Arts. The building's architecture was unique and artsy, adding to the vibe of the place. It is located in a very nice part of the city and easily accessible. It is not the biggest museum you would see anywhere and did not have any world-renowned works on display but it was still a lovely visit. I recommend it as a place a tourist should visit when in Gaborone.
Filicia Kwadi The Gallery is still under construction or renovation, there is not much to see in the meantime. Staff is friendly and welcoming. Entrance is free.
Tsholo Ramokoka Entrance is free. It was a bit of a disappointment though. We expected little bit more than the gallery. There is small gallery and a few artefacts and posters about the Botswana culture. No tour guides.