Varied, interesting Dias Museum celebration
It is not every day there is a cake the size of a door to celebrate a birthday.
However, at the Bartolomeu Dias Museum in Mossel Bay, this has become a tradition and to top that, the whole community is invited to come and celebrate each year.
The museum recently had a facelift. Maintenance was done to the museum.
On Friday, 2 February, a day before the actual celebration date, guests from all the communities joined in the fun provided by Zelia le Roux’s Marimba band, with learners from the King's Kids school in attendance and with the soulful dancing of the Eternal Flames under the guidance of Vicky Moodie.
Zara le Roux’s rendition of the poem, Die Dans van die Reën, by Eugene Marais was very well received by the audience.
One of Mossel Bay’s well-known residents and famous archaeologist, Dr Peter Nilssen, was the keynote speaker. Dr Nilssen, together with Dr Curtis Marean, discovered the famous Pinnacle Point Caves in 1997.
Nilssen took the audience way back to when man migrated out of Africa and explored the rest of the world. We all share a common ancestry, but as a species we became power driven. He pointed out that whoever controls the economy can control a nation. Food is the basis of our lives so the powers that control the food control the world.
Nilssen shared some of his own experiences and discussed how man should never lose touch with nature. According to him a museum is a place of inspiration and the community should embrace it as such. It houses many objects of interest that tell the history of those before us and of those that are still to come. We are all part of history – today’s happenings are tomorrow’s history.