The only place where photography is allowed in the Livingstone Museum is the lobby, where this giant map resides. That’s a shame, because the museum’s exhibits about Zambia’s history and culture are postmodern in the extreme.
The exhibits on traditional Zambian rituals are prefaced with a sign inviting visiting Zambians to reflect on their alienation from their own culture, and what it means to have to visit a “museum” to learn who they are. The curators must have degrees in critical media studies. The natural history section has the usual stuffed animals, but also featured similar displays of a traditional Zambian village, where people had their basic needs taken care of, and were content. The next exhibit shows modern Zambian man working on a construction project run by a white-skinned taskmaster (note: should update with asiatic taskmaster), living at the ‘Hotel Mirage’, forced to become a wage-slave to pay government taxes, chasing the illusion of material happiness. Not expected, and completely fascinating.
The power was out during most of our visit. I was sorely tempted by the opportunity for illicit photos. But, then again, it wasn’t just a museum regulation, it was an order from the local police. And as friendly as Zambians seem to be, they don’t mess with the local authorities, so I wouldn’t either.
