While the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) should be a place of learning, creatives in most places do not find them useful. One of the few examples of such is the Narok Museum. Located in Narok town along the busy Narok-Bomet highway, the name offers much hope to curious travellers and the tourists visiting the Mara National Park. Upon entering “ the museum”, one is shocked to discover a couple of people just hanging around, with the security guard informing visitors that they should pay Sh100, before one can be admitted in. Upon payment, one is just ushered into a hall, with a number of portraits hanging on the wall, and a number of table top display cases with “artifacts” that depict the family life the early Maa people. No curator, no assistant to answer questions.
Outside the museum, in the same building are a number of shops majority selling beard work to the locals and tourists. The shops offer the museum some heartbeat, as tourists are likely to buy some few ornaments after the museum disappointment.
“ As a creative, I feel there is need to empower the Narok Museum by enough resources, including manpower, so that in turn, it can also empower young creatives through research,” says Kimintah, Creative Director at Maafleva Entertainment.
Our observation is that, the NMK should find ways to partner with creative to help document history through arts. At the same time, the institution should look at ways it can partner with young entrepreneurs to empower them through offering them spaces where they can also sell their merchandise to tourists. Young people are vibrant in marketing their job places on social media and this symbiotic relationship.
