In Suriname it is tradition to go on a school excursion every year. The coming school year, which started last Monday, on 3 October 2011, a visit to the Children's Museum of Vila Zapakara in Paramaribo is high on the list of destinations of a school trip. "It's hard to believe. School hasn't even started yet and already we are fully booked until May 2012," Dakaya Lenz, manager of Villa Zapakara, states. On Monday October 10, Villa Zapakara will receive the first school trips.
School trips to Mumbai and Ghana at the Children's Museum of Villa Zapakara
Throughout the school year, masses of children dressed in green-white chequered or light blue shirts, which are part of the school uniform, can be found at landmarks, zoos and creeks for a day outing. There are not many museums in Suriname, and an interactive children's museum did not exist until Vila Zapakara was founded in 2009 by Daphne Bruijne and Mirjam Marks, who wanted to contribute something cultural and educational to the Surinamese children.
Villa Zapakara works in cooperation with the junior museum (TMJ) of the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in the Netherlands. The previous theme, "Palace secrets" was donated by the KIT to Villa Zapakara. Dakaya explains, "The first theme of the museum was incredibly popular. From November 2009 to May 2011, 17,000 children came here to learn all about the Ghanese culture of the Ashanti people".
To become a star in Mumbai
On July 30, 2011 the museum officially opened the theme "Mumbai", which will stay on until January 2013. The museum has been transformed into the Indian metropolis of Mumbai. During a 75-minute workshop, children will take the train to Mumbai where they will work in a Bombay restaurant, learn how to make flower garlands, or paint pottery.
At the end of the session they get the chance to become a star as they are recruited to participate in a true Bollywood movie. This set up of having to work and subsequently getting the chance to become a star is the principal thought behind the exhibition: to work hard and to have faith that opportunities will arise.
For the theme of Mumbai, Villa Zapakara sought help and information from various sources. The theme and scripts came from the Royal Tropical Institute, but this time Villa Zapakara bought all the decorations and necessities for the workshops in India. Three employees travelled to Mumbai to see what workshops would fit in their museum and bought the necessary equipment.
Villa Zapakara's workshops and the Bollywood Dance Battle
While school outings are especially focussed on the 75 minute tour to Mumbai, there are other workshops during the weekends and holidays as well. These include the making of rangolis (designs of coloured sand), making paper bags out of old newspapers and playing cricket. The workshops are sponsored by ICCS, the Indian Cultural Centre in Suriname, with support from the Indian embassy.
For the duration of the Mumbai theme, MINOV (Ministry of Education and Community Development) pays for two employees to properly staff the popular museum.
To start Villa Zapakara's new school year, an extra activity is planned on Saturday October 8, 2011: a Bollywood Dance Battle. To learn more about this activity, the opening hours and workshops, please check out Villa Zapakara's website.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
